Down for the counting

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In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

- Luke 2:1

Caesar is a counter. How big is my empire? How many people do I have? How much can they produce for me? This census allows for planning, increases control and strokes Caesar’s ego.

What else does Caesar’s census do?

He forces people to return to their hometowns to register, disrupting life for thousands of people. This is why Joseph puts his pregnant fiancé on a donkey and makes the journey to Bethlehem. No one in his right mind would make that journey voluntarily. But Joseph and Mary had no choice.

You and I and Caesar all have issues. We attempt to draw identity, purpose and security by counting: gifts, money, time, attention. We are looking to meet legitimate hungers in all the wrong places.

Most of the unhealthy family dynamics we experience around the holidays come from people seeking identity, purpose or security in all the wrong places. We are blinded to the inconvenience we cause others – and the pain – because our need is so great.

But in our passage today we see great news: even the machinations of a self-absorbed Caesar can be used by God to produce good in the world. The God of the Scriptures is so powerful and mighty that even the hubris of one of the most powerful men in all of history is an unwittingly drawn into the grand plan to display the wonders of God’s love.

What do you find yourself counting this holiday season? Where are you looking for identity, purpose and security? How might you look for God’s redemptive purposes to be fulfilled this Christmas season, even in the most dysfunctional of family dynamics?

1 Comment

What I am counting is how to survive on my meager income but also am trying to be with people who are comfortable, people who love me for who I am. I do come from a very dysfunctional family and I am spending Christmas with my wonderful cousin Ann. She is amazing. She shares her home with others, always wants company. I am here for a whole week! It is probably the best Christmas I have ever had. She is one of my many angels..

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