At this beautiful time of year,
we find ourselves focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ.
During this meaningful interlude we allow
ourselves to contemplate His birth and life, and the events surrounding His holy arrival
into the world: the prophecies of Old Testament revelators, Gabriel’s visit to
Mary, the instruction given to Joseph to “fear not” to take Mary for his wife,
the humble birth, the choirs of angels, and the new star that guided the Wise
Men from the East, all give us pause as we realize there never was another occasion
in the history of the earth that was blessed by so much heavenly orchestration. It can only be with reverence and awe that we
consider this marvelous event, and recall it as we read the records preserved
for us in the books of Matthew and Luke
(Matt 1:18-25; Matt 2; Luke1:26-2:20).
What child is this? He is called by many names, each significant
to His mission; each meaningful to our knowledge of how well He loves us,
how He has blessed us, and is blessing us: Jehovah; Jesus The Christ; The Creator; Our Elder Brother; God; The Savior; Emmanuel (God is with us); The Prince of Peace; The Lamb;
The King; Messiah; Rabboni (my Master); Our Salvation; The Most Blessed and Holy One; The Most High God; Lord of Lord and King of
Kings….
I know that, tonight, many of us will be reading the account of Christ's birth, and sharing this sacred story with our families. As we ponder His coming into the world,
especially on this holiest of nights, it is the perfect time to consider all
the gifts He gave to us. We will, no
doubt, also ponder the simple gifts we might give to Him: remembering Him and committing to make room
for Him in our lives, every day; expressing gratitude to Him for all the roles
He has played and is playing in our eternal happiness and salvation; trusting
Him and His promises; saying “yes” to
doing things His way; knowing
Him better and following Him more closely.
He asks so little of us, only to trust
Him: “follow me” (Matt 4:19); and help others to know Him: “Feed my lambs…Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-16). We give to those we love from the abundance
of our hearts because we desire their happiness. At this time of year, it seems we make an
extra effort to give to our loved ones the gifts they have requested, at least insofar as we have the capacity
to give. Would we do any less for our
Savior? Would we deny Him His simple requests?
On this Holy Night, surrounded by the beauty of His spirit, and filled with gratitude for His love, it is something to consider!
