This year has been a whirlwind. It seems as if Thanksgiving was last week. What in the world is going on? How is Christmas in just a few days? And where in the world is the pause button?
As Christmas approaches, my prayer is that we keep the main things, the main things. As Charlie Brown has reminded us, Christmas has gotten incredibly commercialized. But just because many feed into that beast, doesn’t mean we have to. Presents are great, decorated trees are beautiful, and Christmas cookies are delish. However, the best gift that we will ever receive is the gift of that baby being born so long ago. He gives us hope. From the wise men who visited Jesus as a child, to the shepherds who went to the stable at His birth. The hope we have is for everyone, rich or poor, young or old, men or women. And it truly is the best gift we could ever be given.
Toddler Jesus
Sunday morning I was reminded that when the Wise Men visited Jesus, He would have been right around the same age as our youngest daughter – about a year and a half. It made me think, I wonder if Jesus grunted at His gifts, pointing at them, trying to figure out what they were. Or if he could speak to them in a little baby voice with words by then? Would He have looked at them with eyes that stood firm in His superiority? Or would He have looked at them with the same playful, shy eyes as my daughter? I love that song, Mary Did You Know? It’s a beautiful reminder of Christ’s humanity as well as His deity.
Looking at my daughter, I can’t imagine what was going on in Mary’s head when those Wise Men handed her and Joseph myrrh, knowing full well that was used on the bodies of the dead. Maybe she just tried to rationalize it all in her head. Surely, it didn’t mean THAT. Hopefully. Maybe.
Jesus came anyway
It’s sobering to realize how fragile life is, and how very broken we all are. But it’s also amazing to think about how Jesus came for us anyway. And the entire time, knowing what it would cost to save all of us who were once a rebellious and sinful people. In all our wickedness. In all our mess. He came to find the lost. Some of us didn’t even realize we were lost, but He came for us anyway.
Praise God for His miraculous birth and the redemption He provides!
The gospel
It’s easy to take for granted the simplicity of the gospel. But really, it’s not complicated. Something is deeply wrong, but we can’t save ourselves no matter what we do. However, Jesus was born into this world to pay for our sins and the bad choices we’ve made. When we repent and put our faith and trust in Him, we are then counted as His children. That’s it. It’s so simple that a child can understand. But it’s so profound that learned men (and women!) have been wrestling with it for two millennia.
God is good! He is so gracious. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22 – 23). I hope you rejoice in this Truth with your families this Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone!
