I was reading further in the Christmas story this week in the Bible and was struck by the frustration Mary and Joseph may have had while traveling to Bethlehem for the census. To them, I imagine it was especially aggravating, having to report to the city of their heritage being so close to the time of giving birth.

But to God, there was a reason. A prophecy had been made 700 years earlier predicting this very event: a baby would be born in Bethlehem who would become a ruler over Israel.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2).

This trip wasn’t a “coincidence.” It was a “God-incidence.”

I’ve been on three flights recently where I was just minding my own business, doing what I felt was on my heart to do. But along the way, God turned three “coincidences” into “God-incidences.”

On the first trip, I sat next to a man who saw the title of a book I was reading about “fearless living.” Before we even left the tarmac, he began sharing with me his fear of dying that was precipitated by the way he was living. He was a Christian, but doing things that were clearly, to him, immoral, threatening his sense of salvation.

He asked what I thought of dying, and I shared with him some of my own moral failings that had shaken me and eventually led me to put my faith in Jesus for everything in my life. I shared that if I was relying on my goodness, I’d never make it into heaven. But I was relying on my Jesus, and that made all the difference in the world.

I told him, “We aren’t Christians because of how good we’ve been. We’re Christians because we’re sinners in need a Savior, so we’ve put our faith in Jesus Christ.”

It was like a light went on in his head. He realized God wanted him to make better choices not because of where he would go when he died, but so he could better live the life God wanted him to live right here and now. Immediately he felt lighter, freer. He knew what he needed to do, both in the situations he was facing and in trusting Jesus to forgive him of his sins and carry him through it all.

He thanked me profusely and said he felt God was speaking to him through our conversation. And I thanked God profusely, for I hadn’t set out to have some kind of significant conversation. Yet God used that “coincidence” as a “God-incidence” in both our lives.

For the second story, I was flying home from that same trip and had pulled out my Bible to read. I was circling and underlining words and phrases and writing notes in the margins about what I felt God was saying to me.

About half an hour into the trip, the woman sitting next to me turned and asked, “Are you a pastor?” I said I was, and she said, “I’ve got a question for you.”

She proceeded to tell me how she had just bought three different versions of the Bible and was trying to read them, but she kept getting stuck in the first few chapters. She couldn’t get anything out of them, but she really wanted to. She wanted to know what to do to make it more meaningful. It wasn’t just a question on her heart because I was sitting next to her. It was THE question on her heart, and God had put me next to her!

I told her what I do, which is just what I shared with you. I told her I read to understand what the passage was saying at the time it was written, but also to ask God to speak to me about my life, today, here and now. Then I just keep reading until something speaks to me.

I pointed out some of the things God was speaking to me about on the plane, and showed her some of the things I had written in the margins.

She was fascinated. She was excited. She told me she was so glad she sat by me because she couldn’t wait to get back and start reading again.

For the third story, I was flying to another city, with my Bible and journal on my tray. I hadn’t even opened them when the woman sitting next to me asked, “Are you a pastor?” I told her I was and she began pouring out her heart.

She was involved in a situation that had hurt her terribly. She was spending all her time and considerable money trying to get an apology from someone. She wasn’t going to get anything back that she had lost. She wasn’t going to change what had happened already, or what might happen again.

I sensed that, to paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, she didn’t want to be compensated because she had been wronged. She wanted to be healed because she had been hurt.

She asked what I thought she should do. I told her I couldn’t advise her what to do, but I told her what I sensed. I asked if she had other things she felt God might be wanting her to do with her time and energy. She said there were, and she shared those things. They sounded so much more productive! I told her what I thought. She said, “That’s just what my pastor said, too.” (Whether she was happy with that answer or not, I don’t know! But I do know she had heard it at least twice now. I had to trust God could use it however He chose.)

Three times people had reached out to me, each asking for pastoral wisdom. I had to thank God each time, as I was just going on my way. I hadn’t initiated any of these conversations. But when asked, I was willing and happy to engage about their questions. What seemed like “coincidences” felt very much like “God-incidences,” especially with three in a row like that!

Which brings us back to Mary and Joseph and their trip to Bethlehem. Why, oh why, did they have to travel when Mary was about to give birth? And why did it have to be in a stable, where the only place to lay their baby was in a manger?

Why? The rest of the Christmas story answers that question, with God using shepherds to confirm to Mary and Joseph that they were in the exact place at the exact time that God had in mind for them. An angel had appeared to the shepherds, saying:

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.“ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:11-12, 15-20).

Don’t miss the “God-incidences” in your life. Do like the shepherds did on that very first Christmas, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.”

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Great Light!

Love,

Eric Elder writes for page, stage & screen to glorify God’s name so Christ may be seen! Use this link to subscribe or unsubscribe.