Well, Christmas is coming. Are your house decorations up? Have you hung your lights outside? Is the Christmas tree set up? This is the most wonderful time of the year. It really is. Maybe you don’t believe me. We all have temporary circumstances that cause us to question how good it really is. It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because of us, but because of him. It is Jesus’ eternal presence that puts the Christ in Christmas.
Reflect on Jesus
Paul wrote to the church in Colossae the following, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20).
Jesus is supreme.
Christ is worthy.
He is the focal point of Christmas.
The Savior in the stable on a rescue mission.
This is why it is the most wonderful time of the year.
Christ is worthy.
He is the focal point of Christmas.
The Savior in the stable on a rescue mission.
This is why it is the most wonderful time of the year.
The Miracle of Presence
The miracle of Christmas is that God came near to us. God’s presence. It all happened in a most remarkable moment…a moment like no other. This is spectacular! God became a man. Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb. The omnipotent, in one instant, became flesh and blood. The one who was larger than the universe became a microscopic human embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young peasant girl. Are you kidding me!
And God came near to you. He came, not as a distant flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror or super hero or popular celebrity, but as one whose first cries were heard by a young girl and a sleepy carpenter. This is Immanuel—God, God, God…with us.
Majesty in the midst of the mundane.
Holiness in the middle of sheep manure and sweat.
This baby had overseen the universe.
These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity.
His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen.
And worshipping angels had been replaced with kind hardworking shepherds.
Holiness in the middle of sheep manure and sweat.
This baby had overseen the universe.
These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity.
His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen.
And worshipping angels had been replaced with kind hardworking shepherds.
God could have started the redemption mission of the King anywhere, but it began in a manger. Why? To meet us where we are. To be present with us. Because of LOVE for us. It could have been your workplace, workshop, barn, car, living room or basement to come close. To meet us where we actually are today. Personal. This is beyond our comprehension, so we just worship because this is the most wonderful time of the year!
The song, “O Holy Night” captures the awe of Christmas and our response,
“Fall on your knees…night divine.”
Take some time this Christmas to bring the awe back to your Christmas. Set aside the busy mall, last minute shopping, cooking for the family, building the perfect toy, hanging the lights and putting up the tree to just STOP. Think. Think about Jesus, about a baby who wants to know you. It will be worth it.
What do you think?
This article originally appeared here.
