“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
Today is the day! Merry Christmas!
It was a day that had been foretold many hundreds of years prior to its occurrence. It was a day that the people of God longed for and eagerly anticipated. Perhaps even a day that many wondered if it would ever come. Through all of the anticipation and long expectation for the coming Messiah there was still belief. Today as Christians across the world celebrate the birth of the Christ child, let us remember what joy would have been experienced that first Christmas morning. The prophet was right. Their waiting is over. God has been faithful. The Messiah, our Savior, is born. Hallelujah! Glory to God in the highest!
My favorite telling of Christ’s incarnation is found in The Gospel of John. John writes, “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God…the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” John 1:1, 14
I love this telling because it reminds us that our Savior has always been our Savior. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and He was and is and always will be. What we celebrate at Christmas is the in breaking of the Divine in human form. The Word being born in the form of a baby who could not even speak a word. This is what amazes me. The way God the Father chose to save me, and you, was through the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the only Son of the Father. That God, the Father, through Jesus Christ, the only Son, shows that much love and grace toward me is beyond my ability to comprehend.
Perhaps it is our inability to comprehend the fullness of God’s love for us that prompted The Apostle Paul to write, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 4:19
It is my prayer that this Christmas we will all experience the love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. May you live in the promises that come with the birth of the Christ child, today and forever.
On behalf of your Pastors, Lay Leaders, and Staff at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!