Christmas Morning: Son Rise on a New Dayનમૂનો

One of the key elements of certain television sitcoms is their ability to weave together smaller stories into one larger story. Throughout the episode, there may be four individual plots that seem disconnected until the episode’s final moments, when all the “streams” contribute to a larger meta-story.

In the real world, each of us has our own dramas and disappointments, highs and lows. At one level, we are all living out our own stories, but at another level, our stories all weave together into a bigger picture of what God is doing in the world.

So what matters? The macro story of God’s will or the micro moments of our lives? I’d say both.

Luke 1 follows the macro story of Jesus coming into the world, the biggest thing that’s ever happened. Along the way, the micro story of John the Baptist and his parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth, is also told. Even though John’s life has its ultimate meaning in the role he will play as the forerunner to the Messiah, there is clearly a micro story being told that gains resolution in Luke 1:57-66.

In this micro story, Zechariah and Elizabeth’s personal celebration unfolds. For their entire life, they had longed to have children, but were barren. This personal sorrow marked their private life. In today’s verses, we see John being born! At the macro level, John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, but at the micro level, God heard the cry of the childless and answered their prayer. They had the joy of naming this boy, circumcising him, and raising him to be the man God intended. Sure, the bigger picture is the supernatural purpose that lay on John’s life. This was what was reported by all the neighbors in the Judean hills. But let’s not miss the joy of these new parents who are praising God for answering their micro-level prayer.

Dear friends, God cares for you. Not just in world-changing macro-level ways, but in our day-to-day lives. So this day, take some time to pray to God and thank Him for the small things in your life, and ask Him to work in the micro-level details. He is the God of both the big and the small.