One reason singing “Silent Night” on Christmas Eve feels so serene is because the path to get there is usually chaos.
Hours before the candlelit church singing, mothers were sifting through every sock in their 2-year-old’s drawer, musicians were frustrated over a transition they couldn’t get right, cooks were scrambling to get a turkey defrosted, and church leaders were wondering if a winter storm would cancel their services.
It’s not just a little heavenly peace — it’s finally a little heavenly peace.
That moment when Jesus finally fell asleep in the manger probably had the same serenity — and certainly had the same chaotic prelude. The Roman emperor had ordered every person in the empire to travel to their hometown: the ultimate holiday traffic jam. Mary was well into a pregnancy.
There was no room on the road, in the inn, or anywhere. Our Nativity scenes don’t picture round-bellied Mary struggling to get on a donkey (if she had one) or stopping to find a bathroom again. They don’t show Joseph venturing out into the madness to find them dinner. They just show the peaceful part, the divine moment when the shepherds gathered around the sleeping baby.
Luke gives us a hint as to why there was so much chaos in Mary and Joseph’s story. And it may help explain why there’s chaos in your story too. Luke 2:1–7 tells us that Caesar Augustus had ordered the census, which required Joseph to take Mary to his hometown of Bethlehem.
A Jewish reader who had paid attention in synagogue would remember two verses in the Old Testament. Micah 5:2 promised that the Messiah would be born there in Bethlehem. And Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” The emperor’s decree helped fulfill the prophecy because the Lord had moved his heart.
That means, somehow, behind one of the more frenzied moments in world history, God was orchestrating every moment to keep his promises, save his people and bless them forever. It was chaotic, but it was never out of control.
Romans 8:28 teaches that the same is true for every Christian: “for those who love God, all things work together for good.” His plan has always been to keep his promises, save his people, and bless them forever. And every chaotic detail is never out of control, but is being ushered toward that end by a good God.
It probably didn’t feel that way when an exhausted Mary rolled over to wrap her newborn and set him in a manger. And it rarely feels that way to a mother staring at a pile of children’s Christmas socks with no matches. But let Mary remind you that you aren’t the first one of God’s people to have things go sideways on the way to being made right-side up. Every detail is there on purpose — to bless God’s people forever.
Of course, we can say things like “God’s people” because of that baby. Just as planned, he would later offer himself to pay for the sins of who all would trust him and guarantee them life forever. This would make a people of every tribe, tongue, and nation just that — his people.
You can be part of that people as well by receiving Jesus. For all who see him as God, Lord and Savior, and who delight to receive him by faith, we find forgiveness and eternal life.
And we know that every little detail is working for our good, to bless us forever.
David Cook is senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, which will be holding a Christmas Eve carol sing at 5 p.m. and Christmas Morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Send comments to [email protected].
