Christmas

Season

How often do we hear someone say around this time of year, “Jesus is the reason for the season!” Catchy phrase for sure, but what does that mean to you? How do you process that statement? Do you believe it? Can you truly conceive it? How does your life reflect your belief in this assertion?

If the intent is to celebrate Jesus’ birth, let us recognize the true meaning of the season. My assessment is that the essence of this season represents the blessings of perfect peace, incomprehensible joy for our souls and the gift of unconditional love. These gifts from God have more significance than any beautifully wrapped and highly anticipated present that we might find under a well festooned Christmas tree, reflecting generations of family traditions. These traditions may not be harmful in and of themselves and perhaps we should think about their proper place. How does or doesn’t tradition and “reason for the season” connect or diverge? Has tradition distracted us from meaning and essence? We can adjust our perspectives by intentionally turning our thoughts, prayers and complete attention to God, refocusing our awareness of the season and praising Him for the sacrifice of sending His only begotten Son to save us all.

For anyone who is in Christ, the birth of Jesus is the ultimate event in our human existence. Jesus Christ, being the preeminent spiritual being having a human experience here on earth, was born with a mission on His shoulders. He understood and accepted His given task to be born of a woman, experience the life and humanity of the Son of Man and as the Son of God redeem us all by His death on the cross.

This post is the introductory chapter in exploring the birth and early life of Jesus. Concepts, historical events, scriptural context, etc., integral to His life, including redemption, will be examined further in future blogposts.

Scripture

Let us allow the scriptures from the prophecies of the Old Testament written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and fulfilled in New Testament scripture reveal this birth story. The gospels of Matthew and Luke give a detailed account of Jesus’ birth in New Testament scripture, recording the fulfillment of what was foretold centuries earlier.

Prophecy

The Messiah would be born of a virgin - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14)

Fulfillment

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matt. 1:23)

Prophecy

The Messiah’s genealogy - A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (Isa. 11:1)

Fulfillment

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: (Matt. 1:1)

Prophecy

Jesus would be born in Bethlehem - “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Mic. 5:2)

Fulfillment

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matt. 2:6)

Prophecy

Jesus’ birth would reflect God’s love for Israel - “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. (Hos. 11:1)

Fulfillment

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matt. 2:14-15)

Prophecy

The triumph of the Messiah’s reign - For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:6-7)

Fulfillment

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. (Lk. 1:32-33)

Birth

And so it was. We know the story of Jesus’ birth and the retelling should be celebrated, something to be shared and glorified each time it is heard.

Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, a Jewish carpenter in the lineage of David. God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit and that she would name him Jesus. Mary became pregnant before her marriage to Joseph. God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to confirm Mary's conception. With this affirmation, Joseph married Mary as originally promised. Since he was a descendant of David, Joseph was required to register for the Roman census in Bethlehem. Traveling to Bethlehem on a donkey over rough roads during Mary’s last stages of pregnancy, they searched for a place to stay. The small town was crowded because of the census traffic and they could not find suitable accommodations. Mary’s baby, the Son of God and redeemer of the world, was born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger because there was no room at the inn. He was named Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy written in the book of Isaiah. Warned by an angel of the Lord in a dream, Joseph did not continue their journey to Bethlehem with Mary and Jesus to escape the torment of King Herod and settled in Egypt.

During the course of Jesus’ infancy, God intervened on more than one occasion, sending His angels to Joseph in dreams to uproot the family and deliver them to safety. Joseph, Mary and Jesus ultimately moved to Galilee where they lived in Nazareth.

Significance

In His infinite wisdom, God knew that Jesus’ appearance on earth would be wrought with this kind of turbulence. How can we then complain about the trials and tribulations of our earthly lives? This season can be a time where we remember our family’s history and those who made indelible imprints on our lives. Let us give homage to our ancestors who themselves came into the world through challenging births, those who struggled through oppressions and fulfilled passionate commitments to make sure we would have a better life. Consider how Jesus’ human life ultimately ended, through the most horrific, painful, degrading death imaginable, even during His lifetime. Jesus made it possible for our sins to be forgiven, ushered in a new law by which we will be judged and now sits at the right hand of the Father. How could any sacrifice, trial or tribulation in our lives compare? He left this expectation for us - although He did some extraordinary things, He expects us to do even greater things with the resources, gifts and talents we have. Are you doing your “Greater Things”?

What dropped in my spirit is the fact that not even God’s Son escaped the attention of the ruler of the kingdom of the air. The subsequent events of Jesus’ infancy demonstrate that the snares of this dark spirit are only allowed to function within certain restrictive parameters. This spirit has limited power and authority over our lives and absolutely no power over God’s plan for us. Satan is well aware of this and in many cases, more than we are ourselves. This was obvious through the many twists and turns that Mary and Joseph experienced before, during and after the birth of Jesus. God sent His angels on several occasions to prepare, guide and warn them to insure a safe delivery of the Messiah. In the same way, He does not leave the ultimate outcomes of our lives up to us or a function of chance. It is all part of God’s plan.

Did Mary fully comprehend the importance of Jesus’ birth? Did Joseph or Jesus’ siblings? Conceivably, it must have been difficult for her to fully understand that her baby would be the Savior of the world. Mary believed the words of the Lord spoken to her by Gabriel, the angel sent by God who foretold of her conception by the Holy Spirit. Mary’s faith was tested and true. She was filled with gratitude and awe by the enormity of this honor bestowed upon her. Mary consistently made her gratefulness known by calling out to God in the moment and as she became more reflective with the passage of time. She sang to God, glorifying Him for His blessing of making her the mother of our Savior. In our own experience, how do we perceive the work of the Creator in our children’s lives? Do we possess the wisdom to guide them towards their ultimate purpose?

God’s choice of Mary to become the mother of the Messiah is also interesting. Mary was a woman of humble origins, not something that was highly valued in biblical days. Actually, women of Mary’s ilk are not highly valued today by worldly standards. We can praise God that he uses the humble to do His work and to be glorified in His sight. Let Him use you, whatever your station in life. Trust and believe that you have God given gifts and resources that can be used for the glory of God, the building of His kingdom. Let us allow Him to use who we are and what we have and bless it to impact and feed many for the deliverance of His people.

Redemption

The significance of Jesus’ birth is incomparable in its predestined purpose for all of humanity. So much so, that it was prophesized centuries before His actual birth. This gave the Old Testament prophets some indication and even speaks to us today of this blessed event’s magnitude in the history of humankind. Without Jesus’ birth, our story would be incomplete to the point where it would have barely begun. Could you imagine it? Where would we be without God’s redemptive grace on our lives? What would we be able to look forward to without the promise of God’s throne of grace, resting eternally with Him in our resurrected bodies? This is what Jesus came to do, to provide for us. Let us not allow this to escape our consciousness during this season.

Let us take some time and contemplate the goodness of our God, the enormous weight that Jesus carried for us, God’s sovereignty as well as His plan to redeem the lost and set us free. Why did he do this? Because God wanted to give us access to redemption. He wanted to ensure that His chosen ones would have the option to spend eternity with Him and not perish. He did all this and more because God is God.

Love

The biblical account of Jesus’ birth is the ultimate love story featuring Jesus as God’s glorious gift to us. The love of God for us is the greatest love of all. We should be convinced by Jesus’ birth and sacrifice that God truly is love. His divine, everlasting love for us is more powerful than any force on earth or in the cosmos. His never ending, all surpassing mercy covers a whole multitude of sins. His immutable grace keeps us and protects through anything that we, through our choices, free will, disobedience, or the world could ever do to us. Let us always recognize His love for us such that in our most depressing and/or deplorable conditions God’s love is reaching for us to embrace all that He has as the one and only God! Let us rejoice!

Reflecting

With great anticipation, we have looked forward to Christmas Day from childhood through adulthood. We have been the beneficiaries of our parents’ traditional Christmas celebrations – relatives and friends visiting from far and near, presents under the tree, Christmas Eve celebrations, that guy with the sack of toys, elves and reindeer, the list goes on and on. One vivid memory that I was reminded of recently is the brown paper goody bag that Daddy and Mama would fill with treats every year. Since there were so many of us, Daddy would buy an entire crate of apples and a separate crate of oranges to put fruit in the bags and to have some left over for their fruit bowls. Our bags would also have nuts and special Christmas candy. As time passed, many of the older grandchildren would also come to expect their own brown paper Christmas treat bags. The memory of this special tradition brings back the smells, tastes, sounds and joy of Christmastime. It was a moment in time when it seemed like nothing could possibly go wrong. It was part of something that we looked forward to every year and there was nothing else like it. Thank you, Mama and Daddy! Back to the main feature…

Let us take some time and consider the symbolism from another perspective. The lights should remind us that Jesus is the light of the world. The gaily wrapped packages should remind us of the awesome gifts given to us to share with the world. The gatherings and connections that we make at this time of year, even in this environment of heightened electronic communication, should remind us that we are all part of the family of God, His chosen children. This year is especially poignant as we take a mental inventory of 2020 with much relief that this year is coming to a close, and for many us not a moment too soon. During this season of celebration and as we deck the halls and wreck the malls (physical and virtual) let us keep the birth and life of Jesus first and foremost as a reminder of who God created us to be and the expectations of what we are to do with the gifts/resources/talents given to us.

I invite you to reflect on the opening questions of this blog as well as questions raised throughout and share your thoughts in the comments section below. Consider this scripture as you meditate on sharing your perspective and insights:

• I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. (Phil. 1:6)

May the joy of the Lord usher you through a peaceful, safe and healthy Christmas season!

Prayer

Father, you created us to be worthy of your gifts and blessings. We confess that we have not always been good stewards and caretakers of those gifts in us and through us. Please forgive us! We thank you Father for your supernatural wisdom in bestowing upon us your one and only Son. Father, grateful does not begin to describe our humble appreciation or ascribe the overwhelming significance of your redemptive power through the sacrifice of Jesus. Lord, as we share the good news of the birth and life of Jesus, help us become molded to the shape that you predestined for our lives. Help us to realize that our lives have been ordained by your magnificent, perfect plan. We acknowledge that we have not always followed this good and perfect plan. Again, we ask, forgive us! During this time of celebration and throughout the year to come, help us to remember that Jesus is the only thing that really matters. We place our lives, our hopes and our dreams in your hands Lord, for only you are worthy. We pray all these things in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.