Just before the birth of Jesus there was a sense of expectation and hope. People were waiting and wondering. They felt like something wonderful was about to happen. The Scriptures had promised the coming of the Messiah, and rumors were rampant that he was coming at any time. He was going to turn the world around and deliver Israel from all her enemies. He would usher in the kingdom of God. But if those same people, who were so high with expectation, had gone to a backyard stable in the town of Bethlehem one starry night, they might have said, “That’s it? All that hype for this?” But actually, in this case, the reality was greater than the expectation. No one could have guessed how this child would change the world. No one could have imagined the impact he would have on world history and the change he would make in people’s lives. Not even Mary fully understood the difference the child she was carrying would make.
