Merry Christmas, Beloveds. What a wonderful time it is as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I am sure you are already immersed in the blessings of giving and receiving as the moment is quickly approaching. My family and I were blessed with a wonderful meal from a dear friend last night. We got a call from her sweet son that it was delivered and waiting on our front porch. Totally unexpected. So very precious. Thank you more than words can say.
Ancient prophets said that a Savior would come. The great prophet, Isaiah, wrote centuries before the birth of our Lord Jesus that He would.
He said, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us.'” Isaiah 7:14
700 years later, a young girl was selected to be the mother of this baby who would be the Son of God. I love that she was the unusual choice. Not a reigning queen as people might have expected but an incredibly young girl from a poor family. From the beginning, God was making points with every development in this story. To choose Mary as the vessel to carry his one and only beloved son shows us His favor can fall upon any among us.
We’re told in the Gospels that the angel, Gabriel, was sent to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.
“The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be 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.’ ‘How will this be’, Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'” Luke 1:26-35
We know, too, that Joseph was told about Mary’s part in God’s big plans for humanity in a dream. He obeyed God by marrying her even though both of them were being judged because of what appeared to be an illegitimate pregnancy. They were called to Bethlehem for the Baby Jesus to be born, then lived a life in service to the child and God.
The Word tells us, those life altering events occurred around 2,000 years ago, and it tells us what will happen in the future when this baby born into lowly circumstances returns as The King He became after fulfilling His life’s purpose.
We wait, we are excited, we are blessed with great anticipation of when our Christ Jesus shall come again. We do not know when, but He will. Because our Father’s Word tells us so. Therefore, let us celebrate His birth and the miracle of what He did for us. Let us celebrate the gift that is ours forever, an eternal life of glory with God, because He came to show us the way there.
Merry Christmas, my Friends. May all of your great dreams come true as you believe. Know with your whole heart and soul that God loves you as you and yours celebrate.
Poppa