Did you ever stop to think how our culture influences how we celebrate Christmas?  And not just the culture at large, but our own subcultures- how our family, church, and friends celebrate or don’t celebrate the holiday.  In our nine Christmases in a third-world Asian country, not once did we celebrate as we would have at home.  Did that diminish our appreciation of the birth of our Savior?  Not at all.  We discovered that without the pretty trappings and even without family we could still appreciate the coming of the Christ child.

I’ve decided that God is big enough to be present at every celebration where hearts turn to the Babe.  When we bow in adoration, all the outward things are unimportant. In simple jungle churches, great cathedrals, and secretive house churches there are those whose hearts give allegiance.  The shepherds’ worship was no less or more than the worship of the Magi. Bent knees are the only prerequisite.  What we bring to him besides our heart of devotion is extraneous.

There is room at the manger for whoever chooses to come.  There was room for those born-into-the-faith and foreigners.  The local, lowly laborers who knew the ancient Scriptures had an angel visitation to notify them that those Scriptures had finally been fulfilled.  And the outsiders, the dignitaries, who knew the skies had a special star to notify them. They all came to honor the Baby.  All were welcome- those close and those far.

There is room at the cross for whoever chooses to come.  At the foot of the cross, a similar story unfolded.  There were his mother and his close friends who had no social status but who knew he was their beloved Messiah.  Then there were the two criminals being killed beside him.  One put his faith in Jesus in the hour it seemed least likely that he was who he said he was. And as it was in his infancy,  there were also the foreigners.  A high-ranking soldier and his underlings who normally just did this gruesome job in a detached manner admitted that what they had just seen convinced them that this man was the Son of God.   All were welcome.  Those close and those far.

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:39-43

“The Roman centurion and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”  Matthew 27:54

There is room at the throne in Heaven for whoever is chosen to come.  There will be those who grew up in countries where it was easy to embrace Jesus and those from countries where it was difficult and risky.  All it takes is a heart that bows to our Sovereign God and Jesus our Savior.  There will be those who were close and those who were far.

“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.  And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
    and from the Lamb!”
… And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.”  Revelation 7:9-11

Someday there will be room at the table in Heaven for those who are invited.   There will be those who were born into the faith community and those who came from no faith background to trust Jesus.  There will be those who were close and those who were far.

“And I tell you this, that many Gentiles [all people groups outside Israel] will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Matthew 8:11  

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
“Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 
Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and his bride has prepared herself. . .
 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” Revelation 19:6-8

Sometimes we write people off because they seem too far- too far gone, far away for too long, too uninformed, too rich, too powerful, too unimportant, too proud, too disinterested, too committed to the wrong side, too ignorant, too calloused.  God feels otherwise.  He welcomes those far away and those near.  

Who have we given up on?  God hasn’t.

“He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.”  Ephesians 2:17