But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
~Galatians 4:4 NIV
Growing up, every Christmas ended the same way. My dad spoiled it. He was disappointed with what he did or didn't receive and sulked. He would get mad at something someone said, and an argument would ensue. Or the meal wasn't quite perfect, and the complaining would erupt.
I came to dread Christmas day, waiting for his explosion. After waiting so long and anticipating the joy of
Christmas, the actual day was anything but fulfilling.
How different the first Christmas must have been for Mary and Joseph when, in the fullness of time, God's Son came into their lives. Any discomfort or
disappointment they may have felt about their lodgings or having to lay
the babe in a lowly manger must have flown away after the shepherds' visit. Luke records, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19 NIV).
The fulfillment of the promise, which the angel Gabriel spoke to her and God later revealed to Joseph in a dream, had come true: the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary, and the power of the Most High would overshadow her so that the Holy one to be born would be called the Son of God. A truth that the shepherds testified to for everyone they met. The babe, whom Gabriel had instructed the couple to name Jesus because he would save his people from their sins, had been born.
What a gift and miracle. What a hope that lay within that tiny bundle of
human flesh. What a fulfillment of God's promise from the beginning of time
that a Savior would be born to set His people free from the bondage of sin. How Mary and Joseph's hearts must have rejoiced that first Christmas when
they gazed upon the face of this one called Jesus.
Each of us may have plans for a perfect Christmas day this Christmas. But what will happen if those plans go awry? Will we experience disappointment, fulfillment, or even anger? Or, will we choose joy and embrace the truth of God's fulfilled promise, which still brings good news of great joy for all people? A Savior has been born. He is Christ the Lord, who still saves people from their sins today.
Find fulfillment and joy this Christmas, no matter what may go amiss or what might bring disappointment, anger, and emptiness. The choice is yours.
Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More.
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