Christmas Day,
Before the celebration begins lets focus our hearts on him. No gift has every been so costly. No gift has ever been so treasured. No gift has ever been so precious. No gift has ever been so perfectly suited to both my needs and desires. Each gift that I give today only faintly reflects the part of your nature that makes giving joyous. Each gift that I receive today reminds me that I have received the most profound gift that can ever be given and I am filled with gratitude.
The joy I feel as I’m warmed by the presence of those I love is nothing compared to the joy I have because you have filled your promise from of old and have given your son to be my savor. Psalm119:62. He will be taking pleasure in our company as we take pleasure in his. Romans 15:13. The spirit of Christmas will pass but the spirit of Christ indwells me forever. I Sometimes let the glory of my salvation get overshadowed by the gloss of Christmas but this season my heart is fixed on Him. And I pray that he will refresh the joy of my salvation 365 days a year.This Christmas night I consider what your birth has made possible and I ponder you. Hebrews 2:14-17. Your gift comes in such creative rapping yesterday morning Christmas Day beautifully wrapped gifts we pilled high around the Christmas tree with some of the gifts as much thought had been given to what kind of wrapping of the gift as to the selection of gifts itself. Sometimes the wrapping was met to disguise the gift so the surprise would be all the greater. Yesterday the artistry of the wrappings made the anticipation of the gift greater the wrappings invited us into the gift. Today the wrappings are gone and the gifts are the main focus. You wrapped your gift in flesh and blood. The wrapping was such that it invited us into the gift. Had you sent your son unwrapped we could not have seen him because of the brightness of his countenance would have blinded us. Like the Israelites of old we would have hidden our faces from him in fear and shame. We see Jesus in the flawless beauty of his humanity. We see the grandure of his incarnation when he demonstrated the enormity of his love for us by wrapping himself in flesh in blood so that he could destroy that which held us captive. I can not imagine anything more beautiful than the king of kings wrapped in his blood for my sake.
As you continue your thoughts of Christmas tomorrow don’t let it disappear with the wrappings that are thrown away but think again about the wonder of the incarnation. God and Jesus reach out to help those whom he has created. He who created can as easily recreate. He who needed nothing took the earth as a tiny baby needing everything. He who never had to feel hunger or cold or pain or exhaustion chose to share in my lot for redemptions sake. Glory was hidden behind flesh power was dressed in infant helplessness majesty wrapped in swaddling clothes. He came to participate on our humanity so that we first made in the image of God could be remade in the image of Christ. He chose to be made like us in every way so that he could secure our salvation. As the Christmas celebration begins to fade into the background until next year I embrace the reality of the incarnation we honor he is the living proof of your salvation. His power to recreate to turn brokenness into beauty is on display in my life. Every day I experience your redemption and I adore you and I adore your incarnation. Because your entrance into my life allows me to be in a constant state of renewing.
