old story, new take

I have heard the story of Christmas ever since I can remember. I know that Jesus Christ, God's Son, concieved by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, who would be called Emmanuel (God with us), was born that day, and THAT is what we celebrate. Peace, joy, freedom came that day! Hope! Our Savior came to earth and was born! For you and for me, He came! To do the Father's will and bring glory to Him, to conquer sin and death once and for all for all of us. To bring us into a relationship with Himself. What an amazing miricle of God! Even as I write I am hesitant to go on, because I am truly in awe of that story, no matter how many times I have heard it or how many times I will hear it in the future.
Ben was reading the Christmas story again recently, in preparation for Christmas, after just coming back from a trip to California. Something he learned there is that if we are not applying what we read in God's Word daily to our everyday lives, then there isn't much point - the Word wasn't meant to just be another story, but something that changes our lives.
Sometimes it's hard to get new things out of stories that we've heard and applied so often. But as Ben was reading the Christmas story he got something else out of it - he closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like to be the shepherds on the hillside that the angel appeared to. Can you imagine that? All of a sudden, out of the darkness, comes this bright angel! And after the angel comes a whole choir of angels appear! They must have been shaken up, hearts racing, excited to go see what in the world they were just told. Can you imagine being out on a cold night, maybe just going on a walk, when BAM the skies open up and angels appear?!
While Ben was imagining this, he asked God how this applied to his life, right now. And this is what he came up with: Having just been to California to see what relational discipleship looked like in all different ways with many different people, this was what the Lord had shown him - that being a disciple of Christ is the most real, most freeing thing to do with your life. That following Christ was really the abundant life. That helping others in their journey with Jesus is what our lives should be all about; our time, energies, efforts, finances, everything. THAT is what he had the opportunity to share with others, to share with people in our lives. The Lord had taught him this - the men that he encountered in California spurned him on to his life being about relational discipleship once again. He had this exciting news, this way of life, to help people that we love get excited about this life that God has called us to - this abundant life with Him.
This abundant life that He offers freely - the reason that He sent His Son to be born on the earth and one day die to free us from ourselves.