Driving to work one morning, traffic caused the pace to match a slow crawl. I passed by the familiar gas station/tire shop that has lasted with all the development sprawl around it. The simple one car garage and the full service gas pumps are a testimony to a previous time. But what caught my eye this particular morning was the tow truck parked in front. Most tow trucks today are flat beds that pull the entire car up for traveling but this one still had the brace that would lift half of the car and let the other half carry it’s own weight. And this particular hitch was in the shape of a cross. Of all the odd places to find a symbol of the cross, a simple gas and tire station. One that could easily be missed in the midst of the busy-ness going on around it. And it made me think about that first Christmas. A baby born in very simple surroundings. Many were expecting a big fanfare, a grand entrance. They were expecting a warrior to come riding in and to save the day. But Jesus was born as an infant, born in the simplest of surroundings and missed by so many that were expecting something different. Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season. He is the reason why we celebrate and rejoice because there is a hope that exists because of His life and ultimately because of His death on a cross and His resurrection. The next time you are looking for Christ to show up on your terms and in your way, remember how He came to be accessible to all man and in the simplest of ways.
Merry Christmas,
