- A surprised but obedient teenage girl.
- Lowly shepherds. A beautiful angel chorus.
- A brilliant star in the sky.
- Royalty from distant lands.
- A lowly stable...the birthplace of a King.
Today, this list probably does not contain the first images that come to mind when you hear the word Christmas. However, all of them were incorporated into the events that played out that first Christmas more than 2,000 years ago.
While the sights and sounds of Christmas have changed over the course of history, the meaning of this blessed season has not.
An Unexpected Gift
All the unexpected events, people, and places of the first Christmas were the backdrop for the most unexpected gift of all time: the unexpected and unconditional love of God that motivated the birth of Christ.
What a privilege it must have been to see the Son of God! These simple individuals launched the history-altering celebration of Christmas. They proved that joy can infect even the most unlikely of subjects and that Christmas is for everyone.
Imagine the shepherds gazing into the darkness, the Magi following a star to an unknown place, and Mary and Joseph birthing their first child alone.
Then suddenly, heaven pierced the darkness and reflected the glory of God. It was beyond their wildest dreams, and they were terrified. But the angel said: “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10).
The Lord Is with You This Christmas
Whatever your Christmas holds this year, do not be anxious. We have the same privilege the first Christmas participants enjoyed. We have a wonderful invitation to receive the love of the Lord and to be included in His family.
The shepherds didn’t return unaffected to their sheepfolds. Luke 2:17-18 says, “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
This Christmas, come with haste and discover Christ. When you do, you will be compelled to speak of what you’ve seen, heard, learned, and felt. That is how His message spreads as we sing: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”
Christmas and joy are inseparable.
Luke 2 records the story of Christ’s entrance into the world; whether you’ve heard it a hundred times or this is your first invitation, join me in reading the Christmas story out of Luke 2, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (verse 11).
Merry Christmas to You
May your Christmas be filled with unexpected blessings and surprises as you celebrate the birth of our Savior!
Merry Christmas!
For further reading:
David Jeremiah Discusses When Love Came into the World This Advent Season
David Jeremiah Discusses the Source of Joy This Advent Season
David Jeremiah Discusses the Peace of Advent in an Unstable World
David Jeremiah Discusses the Advent Candle of Hope and What Matters This Holiday Season
Do We Know if the Virgin Birth Was Prophesied in the Old Testament?
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/kevron200
