Merry Christmas! Rejoice! Our Savior is born! Today is a day of jubilee as we celebrate Christ Jesus, true unique Son of God, fully God yet still flesh, being born in Bethlehem many years ago. Today commemorates humanity receiving the greatest gift we could hope for; the prophesies of Christ the Messiah throughout the Old Testament coming to fruition; the realization of God’s plan for our guarantee of salvation. Today is a wonderful day of joy and triumph, and I hope you all enjoy this time of celebration with family & friends, whether together in-person, or over the phone, or just in your hearts.
Now that Jesus is born, how could we properly express our excitement? Luke 2 tells of many reactions to this great and glorious news of our living Savior. Mary was filled with thoughtfulness and thankfulness for a truly miraculous gift, in deep adoration and love of the Lord’s gift to her. The shepherds spread this news all over in awe of a declaration the likes of which they’ve never seen. Later, Simeon, waiting to fulfill his life’s last purpose of welcoming Christ, praised God for His deliverance of salvation and excitedly sharing the amazing plans he knew God had in store for this baby. And Anna, the elderly prophetess widow, immediately lovingly started telling all around her of God’s works immediately upon seeing Jesus for herself.
Just as each of us are unique individuals, our manifestations of praise and worship in times of closeness with the Lord are deeply personal and one-of-a-kind. But all the same, when we share a deeply personal experience with the Lord as all these people did, we can’t help but express our awe at these moments; it’s almost reflexive for us as Christians. Christmas Day is more than just a day to spend with family and share presents: it is a day to experience the closeness and blessings of a God who would send His own son to die in our stead. It’s a time to reflect upon every little gift God’s bestowed upon you in the last year, and how they’ve prepared your heart to receive Him today. It is a day to focus on & be moved by God’s works, to treasure His gifts and to share them with the world through our own one-of-a-kind voice and praises.
Merry Christmas to you & your families, and may this be a wonderful praise-filled day of shared adoration for our Savior. I pray that you could all use today to draw close to the Lord and be filled with His Holy Spirit. Among the festivities and jubilation, I pray that we could all experience a deep, loving closeness with the Lord, and that this would be a day of energy and excitement for sharing the good news of Christ’s birth.