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!
