Christmas Joy and hope
Isaiah 9:6 is one of the greatest prophecies found in the Old Testament. Concerning the promised Messiah, Isaiah writes, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” As Christians, we know this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus. The virgin birth is one of the most profound and important truths of Scripture. In his classic work, The Existence and Attributes of God, Stephen Charnock writes, “That a God upon a throne should be an infant in a cradle; the thundering Creator be a weeping babe and a suffering man, are such expressions of mighty power, as well as condescending love, that they astonish men upon earth, and angels in heaven.” The wondrous power of God to have the ability to take on human flesh, and the sacrificial love to do so for the sake of sinners, is what makes the Christmas season so magnificent. Our Savior humbled Himself and took on flesh. For us.
Each Christmas we sing the familiar words, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come!” When we remember the power of God and His love for us, there are no greater words to sing. The Lord has come, making redemption available to all who believe. What a powerful reason to rejoice in what God has done. Apart from the coming of the Messiah, we would all be lost in our sin with no hope of eternal salvation.
Since God sent His Son to the earth to die for our sins, we have an eternal reason to praise God and rejoice in His provision. Sadly, our attention can be easily distracted by the busyness of the season, causing us to forget the foundation of our hope and joy. But when we pause for a moment, and regain an eternal perspective, we find a babe lying in a manger, destined to die on the cross of Calvary so we might enjoy the glories of heaven. These simple truths will keep our hearts filled with joy–no matter the state of our schedules or circumstances–this Christmas. God took on flesh, providing us with a tremendous reason to be hopeful and jubilant.
As the Gospel of John reminds us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The eternal word took on the limitations of humanity for the sole purpose of redeeming the lost and hopeless. God loved the world so deeply, even with all of its wickedness, He sent His only Son to deliver us from our sin. The Messiah did not enter the world to condemn it, but to save those who believe in Christ (John 3:16-17). Without a helpless babe in a manger, there would be no hope of eternal redemption and no hope of a personal relationship with our heavenly Father.
The miraculous events of Jesus’s birth—as predicted by the Old Testament prophets—point to the uniqueness of His arrival. Not only was Jesus’s mother a virgin, a host of heavenly angels announced His arrival and told the shepherds where they could find the Messiah. “Fear not,” the angel declared, “for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10). The long promised Messiah had finally come, providing an eternal reason for hope and joy. The lowly shepherds would find the child lying in a manger, exactly as the angels promised (Luke 2:16). The almighty Creator of the universe assumed the limitations of a helpless infant and dwelt among those He created in order to save all who repent of their sin. The poor child, the one cooing in his mother’s arms, would be despised and rejected by hateful men so we might enjoy eternal hope and joy.
Each year, during the Christmas season, we celebrate the birth of Christ; we remember the moment in time when God entered this cold, dark, and sinful world as a hungry, weeping, and completely helpless newborn on our behalf. The sinless one who created humankind exposed Himself to the sin-stained world with all of its imperfections, hatred, and opposition in order to lay down His life for those who despised, ridiculed, and rejected Him. The holy judge of humanity placed Himself under the cruel judgment of those He created. Those who would send Him to the cross. The spotless Son of God would eventually be brutally crucified as our sacrificial Lamb to pay the penalty for our sin—a debt we could not pay. Jesus’s sacrifice began in humble manger as a helpless babe in swaddling clothes, crying and shivering in the night.
Christmas hope and joy are found in a lowly manger. They are found when we remember that God sent His only Son to this sinful world so we might spend eternity in His glorious presence. Without the dependent baby in the manger, there would be no eternal hope for sinners. Our gracious and loving God entered this world and disrupted human history to redeem the very ones who lived in rebellion against Him.
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come!”
As the month of December begins, and the Christmas season gets into full swing, remember the infant born to a virgin and placed in a manger. Remembering the birth of our Savior provides the hope and joy we all need in these unpredictable times. There is no denying 2023 has been a difficult year. Global crises have dominated the headlines once again, but there is still hope and there is still a powerful reason to rejoice this Christmas season. Hallelujah, our Savior, which is Christ the Lord, was born to a virgin, in the city of Bethlehem, and rested in a manger. Thanks to the child whose life began on that glorious night, redemption is available to all who call upon His magnificent name by faith.
This Christmas, let us boldly sing: “Joy to the world!”
Why?
Because “The Lord is come!”