Where is the Temple

Location.  Location.  Location.  

In the Jewish faith no location was as important as the Temple. The Temple was where people gathered for worship, offered sacrifices, and heard the reading of the Law. It was also the hub of their religion centered society. There are entire books of the Old Testament dedicated to the long process of building and caring for the Temple as well as all the proper religious customs to be observed at the Temple in Jerusalem. However... look at the location of Christmas.  

Mary and Joseph welcomed Jesus into the world in a borrowed barn.  They laid their new born into a manager, which is a fancy word for feeding trough.  The angels shared the good news of the both of Jesus to homeless men - sheep herders - working the night shift.  Wise men - alone in their interpretation - followed a star and found Jesus with Mary and Joseph.  God made the greatest announcement in human history outside the walls of worship at the Temple and in a most humble alternative.  Christmas shows up in the least likely of places.  

What does it mean for us that Christmas takes place on the outskirts?

Christmas will be here before you know it - we are in to the final countdown.  And then it will be over.  But for a few more days, Christmas is happening all around us.  Each time you choose faith, generosity and invitation, Christmas becomes real in a way that is more than on the calendar.  God-is-with-us faith can break out at work, at home, and in the neighborhood.  Wherever unlikely people gather, God is ready to share Himself - Christmas -THROUGH YOU!  

It may not look like what you expect, but being ready to say "yes" to God's nudge to pray for someone, to encourage someone, to give your stuff away, or to be a peace maker in a difficult situation.  YOU can share Jesus with a world desperate for something more.