Today we celebrate then birth of Jesus Christ. Why? Without the broth there would be no cross. I do not say this to say Jesus can be, or should be summed up into His birth and death, but because without His being born, there would simply be no way to the Father. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because it reminds us that God keeps His promises. It does not matter how long it takes, God is a promise keeper. For thousands of years there was a promise about a king, a savior, a ruler, someone who would walk with God in righteousness to deliver God’s people, not simply from worldly empires, but the empire of sin. For thousands of years people waited for this promise and so much happened in this waiting process— the stories of the exodus from Egypt, Israel taking most of the Promised Land, the judges, the stories of David and Solomon, of Esther and Daniel, the writing of the psalms, so much happened because there is purpose in waiting. God does not waste anything. Though it took time for God’s promise to be fulfilled, He did. it forsake or abandon His people.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we anticipate the goodness of God. Many thought the Savior would come in grandiose fashion, appearing out of nowhere like Elijah, riding a warhorse, and ready to conquer Israel’s enemies, but Jesus arrived just like we all do—as a baby. Babies bring the best out of everyone around them, whether they are still in the womb or crawling and getting into everything they are not supposed to. They simply exist, they do not perform or do things for show, they live in who they are and they are curious about everything. The joy babies being is contagious. Babies symbolize the family will continue and the next generation is here. Babies are a blessing from God and they are fulfillments of the command God gave to humans in Genesis to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Babies are the fruit of God’s goodness and their lives are precious. God entrusts us with taking care of these little humans because He works through them to craft our character and reach our heart. Babies are often times God’s mercy to us; they are that second chance we pray for, to finally get it right. They offer purpose and meaning and they brighten all circumstances. May we not let God down by failing our children; each time we look at the face of a child we see glimpses of God.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we have hope. This hope we have is not founded on anything less than the word of God. It is a hope that strengthens and revives us. The hope we have in Jesus encourages us and does not put us to shame. Through Jesus we have hope that what we face today is not all there is to our story. When we are sick we have a hope that we can be restored and made well. When we are broken we have a hope we can be mended back together again. When we are lost, there is hope of being found. When we are lonely we have hope we can be loved again. Jesus is the ultimate hope and praise God that our hope lives and this hope is the truth of the power and person of God. We celebrate the birth of our Rabbi, our Savior, our Lord, and our Friend, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Licing God because He makes all things new—our past, our present, and our future.
Merry Christmas!
Until next time, continue to stay guided by grace,
Guided by Grace 