We sometimes think of the birth of Jesus as merely a kickoff to bigger things such as the resurrection.  Some struggle to believe it, but the real stumbling block in Christianity is this:

Jesus of Nazareth was God made man. 

Once you accept it, those other miracles make sense.  Luke writes to convey the historical reality of the Incarnation, in which we see vignettes of God’s PROVIDENCE and the PRICE of the Incarnation.

God was providentially accomplishing his purposes through Caesar’s census and the Inn.  God fulfilled his prophecy from Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, which is the house of bread and the city of David, two themes that inform Jesus’ ministry. The hotel situation prophetically showed that Jesus, the true light, was coming into a world in the darkness of sin and rejection of God (see John 1:9-11). 

The price of the resurrection will never be fully known to us be we can try to imagine from God’s perspective.  Jesus, the only Son of the God, had perfect fellowship with the Father and the Spirit for all eternity before the Incarnation.  He humbly left heaven and assumed a human body as our Savior.  We can also see the price Mary and Joseph paid for saying “yes” to God’s call.  Throughout her entire life and beyond, the virgin conception was not believed.  She was publicly shamed for supposed immorality.

Taking It Home:  If you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, then you must own your part in the sinful darkness of humanity.  Repent and let God make you a light in this world to give witness to him.  You should also expect that God can and does work providentially in your life.  Pray and watch for it.