As
a child, Christmas was always an exciting time, full of anticipation and the
joy of giving and receiving. Those wonderful memories created with family and
friends are delightfully meaningful to me now. In my teenage years I made a
decision to receive God’s special gift of salvation that comes through belief
in His Son Jesus. This acknowledgement on my part became the miracle that
allows me to embrace the reality of Christmas.
Belief
in the miraculous is essential when contemplating the Christmas story. First, consider
the foretold announcement of our Savior Jesus Christ. Hundreds of years before
the birth of God’s Son, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed His arrival, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a
Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will
be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6 NKJV).
It’s
amazing that God, in His providential act of love toward us, sent His Son to
earth: prophetically announced, received in awe, the hope for all mankind,
miraculously given. “Now the
birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit”
(Matthew 1:18). Christmas is so much
more than a holiday. The message of Christmas is one of life eternal — life. It’s
God’s gift to us!
