He was a baby. As helpless and dependent as every other baby born on this earth. As beautiful and precious to His mama as every baby ought to be.
Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
She was special in a way, but just as human as you and me. She knew she was holding God's child, but did she understand what her grown boy would endure to save her?
Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Do we understand what His suffering has saved us from? Eternal separation from Him (death), shame, false guilt, darkness, foolishness, and spiritual bondage are just a few horrible things from which our Savior has delivered us.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How, then, should we celebrate His birthday? We don't know his actual birth date, but December 25th has been deemed His birthday party day. Does it turn out to really be about Him, though?
Generally speaking, no. It's not about Him anymore, if it ever really was. As a whole, people have turned this time of year into a breeding ground of discontent, materialism, greed, and selfishness. I don't need to spell out the ways these qualities are displayed. We all see it.
Thankfully, there are those who choose to celebrate Jesus during this season. Jesus, the Light of the World. Jesus, the Perfect Lamb. Jesus, Immanuel. Jesus, our Savior.Close your eyes, and think on that word, Savior, for a moment. It's breathtaking.
1 John 4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Doesn't He, more than any of us, deserve to have His birthday celebration be about Him? After all, though He was born in lowly human conditions, He was/is as much God as His Father was/is. Jesus chose to give up His rights as God to come here for us!
There are all kinds of ways and opportunities to make this Christmas season about Him, about our love and adoration for Him. There are needs all around us we can choose to meet in His name. There's all kinds of giving we can do in place of getting, and ways to direct the next generation's eyes onto Jesus instead of themselves. These are all good things.
Matthew 25:35-40: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
I was thinking, though, and praying about what Jesus would want for a birthday present--I mean, the "bestest" thing He might want in the whole world from His followers: To be truly followed by those who claim him, not just during the Christmas season, but every day of the year; to be cherished, adored, and obeyed by us, to the best of our ability, every single day; to see His followers meet the needs we are able to meet through Him all year long!
I don't know if I've got it right, as far as what His favorite birthday present from His people might be, but certainly we can't go wrong to give Him our whole selves each and every day!
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Soon after I wrote the above, I saw this lovely video by Ann Voskamp and Liz Curtis Higgs, and just knew I needed to share it with you ladies. It's a little over an hour long, but, if you have a quiet hour to set aside, wrap your cold hands around a mug of something warm and treat yourself to the wisdom and charm of these two precious ladies. They're actually kind of advertising their new advent books, but the video is really a delight to watch, and they offer a lot of insight for free! ;) Click here to view the video.
