I read a story of a man who played the violin in the
Washington DC subway. On this
particular cold and blustery morning, very few people noticed the man on the
platform… playing skillfully on his instrument.
They were scurrying to make their next train… looking over their
newspapers… pressing their faces close to their phones while they checked
Twitter. After a little while, a lady
stopped and placed a one dollar tip in his violin case. But the recognitions were few and far
between. After about 45 minutes of
playing, the man had made $32.00. After
finishing his last piece, to the deafening silence of no applause, the man
placed his violin back in its case and headed home.
What the people passing didn’t know… this was Joshua
Bell. Violin virtuoso. One of the most talented players in the
world. In fact, just two days before,
Joshua had played to a sold-out concert crowd in Boston… where the average
ticket price exceeded $100.
Sometimes greatness is right in front of us and if we aren’t
careful, we’ll miss it.
Tonight we celebrate Christmas Eve… the night before the
birth of Jesus Christ. The night where
Mary and Joseph walked the streets looking for a place to rest… and the
innkeeper turned them away to the caves…
The night when angels prepared to sing, shepherds stared into the starry
sky in anticipation, and God smiled knowing that His plan for salvation was
about to be unveiled. It was the night
when greatness and perfection lay waiting as a human child in the womb of a
young virgin… eager to open His beautiful eyes in a world desperate for His
presence.
Greatness was about to appear to the world. Yet many would miss it. To some it was just another night… just
another star in the sky… just another young boy.
To some it was just another birthday.
This Christmas… don’t miss it. Don’t allow the busyness to get in the way of
the beauty of His birth. Don’t miss the
chance to worship Him… giving your greatest gifts to Him… sharing His story
with those that might otherwise walk on by.
He is the greatest single human being ever born… and, at the same time, every
bit God. His knowledge is as vast as
the sands on the beach… and His compassion is unequalled. He IS God.
He is greatness personified. He
is our Savior. And tonight… on Christmas
Eve… let’s celebrate knowing that He was born with the ultimate purpose…. saving the world!
