Readings for today: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38
It’s easy to breeze through these passages because they have become so familiar to us. Every Christmas we revisit them. Every Christmas we tell the story yet again. Every Christmas, we perform pageants and plays and sing familiar carols as we celebrate what God has done in Jesus Christ. But familiarity can often breed contempt. What was once a miraculous and glorious mystery becomes mundane and ordinary. That’s why it’s important to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us as we read the Bible. He is the one who makes the words on the page come alive. He is the one who inspires our hearts and fires our imaginations as we engage the text. And if we listen to Him closely, He will reveal things to us that we might otherwise miss as we work through the Bible year after year.
I cannot tell you the number of times I have read the Christmas story. It has to be hundreds. And yet this year, I found myself paying less attention to the people in the story - Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, etc. - and more attention to the words God used to describe what was happening. Mary will give birth to a son and His name will be Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. This is to fulfill what the ancient prophet had spoken about a virgin conceiving a son named Immanuel which means “God with us.” John will be great in the sight of the Lord and filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus will be great in the sight of the Lord and will be called Son of the Most High. He will be conceived by the Holy Spirit and will be called the Son of God. Simeon predicted this child would be the rise and fall of many in Israel and Anna believed His birth signified the redemption of Jerusalem. Each of these passages in isolation is powerful enough to stand on their own. String them altogether and it’s breathtaking and overwhelming in scope.
Savior. Immanuel. Son of the Most High. Son of God. Redemption of Jerusalem. Light of the Gentiles. Glory of Israel. All this and more is revealed in Jesus and it’s why His birth is considered the hinge point of human history. It’s why billions around the world today and throughout the centuries have placed their trust in Him. He is the good news of great joy that is for all people. He is the peace of God breaking into the world. He is the hope of heaven come to earth. Place your trust in Him today!
Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52