Retreat with me for a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of the commercialization of Christmas. Let Santa Clause take a back seat. Shut out the stress of trying to create a perfect holiday experience for your family. And let’s just take a closer look at that baby in the manger.

On the surface, our scripture would seem a bit unusual for the Sunday before Christmas. We’re used to hearing stories of shepherds and kings. But this text is the perfect choice for our celebration of Christmas, because it focuses, not on visitations by mankind, but on the visitation of God Himself!