The Christmas story began long ago... at the founding of the world. Plans were being made in heaven, man did not know nor understand what we happening. Thousands of years would pass before man would understand what God had been doing from the very beginning. The God who created all things and blessed his crowning achievement, man, watched as he made a fatal choice, falling into sin and hopeless despair. All the while, God was planning a monumental recovery plan. God’s nature didn’t change, he didn’t make a mistake in his creation of humanity... man made the mistake, and the God of love and mercy had our redemption in mind from the moment man turned against him.
The prophets Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, and Micah all proclaimed the Christ that was to come. Not even they could have imagined how the world was going to change. Who was this Christ to be? Where would he come from? When would he come? What would he do? Great questions all, and God began to slowly and methodically reveal to humanity, that a day would come when the world would change forever.
The change would be good for everyone. The change would come upon the world almost without notice, with little fanfare. Simple people would be shown the arrival of this one called “Messiah” the likes of shepherds, vagabonds and sojourners, just a few, not thousands. The “change” arrives in the form of a newborn baby, born of a human woman. A baby, a small boy, would grow to manhood.
The Old Testament is the lead up to the Christmas story. It’s all about the coming change that would be the hope of mankind. Every day we use that small, mystical word—hope. It’s tough to live without hope. What is hope? It’s a vision for better days... events that will change us in the present. Hope is your best friend and security on an uncertain journey... there’s something up ahead, around the corner, its forming, its coming into sight, and it’s all good.
That good future that God began planning thousands of years before the Christ-child arrived wasn’t just an abstract concept, it was a real living person. We soon discover it was God in the flesh. That man who came to be known as Jesus came with power that reached into the souls of men and transformed them into new creations.
The Christmas season is a time for everyone to reflect on where you are in discovering this “Christ” who changed the world... who turned it upside down! We are all on a journey to destiny. What was once an uncertain journey without hope is now changed... we are all invited on a journey towards better days, a journey of real and lasting hope. Our hope is in Jesus. If we let him, he will work in and through our lives, reaching into our souls and giving us real lasting hope. Jeremiah 33:14–16
The Christmas story is for those who treat their spiritual lives with careless contempt. The unmotivated and uninspired, the bored and distracted, all yawning in the face of God. Most don't know what they're doing. Such people need a serious wake-up call. Or in the words of the ancient prophet Malachi, they need to meet the God who is like a “refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). God inspired Malachi to say...You were made for better days. You weren’t made to coast in your spiritual apathy. God has better days coming. Every year, Christmas serves as a wake-up call for all those who need to “see the possible” in themselves, that God has made possible through Jesus, the Christ.
God so loved the world, that he gave us his only Son... (John 3:16) That’s one of the most hope inspired passages in all the Bible. It promises so much for those who believe in the “change” God sent into the world. God wants nothing to separate us from his greatest gift... or keep us from knowing the joy that is found only in Jesus, the Christ.
Near the end of the Old Testament, you’ll find a small book called Zephaniah. The last half of chapter three contains a wonderful, moving, tender, and powerful description of God’s love. A philosopher once said... there are only two things that can crack open the human heart... suffering and beauty. The picture of God’s love at the end of this little book is designed to crack open our hearts with its beauty. In a world filled with hatred and sin, this description is not what humanity deserves, but it is the love God offers to everyone. This is the hope of Christmas... that God did something extraordinary in Christ that changes everything. Zephaniah 3:14–20
Finally, the human heart since the beginning of time, has longed for tranquillity... peace. There has been no peace on this earth, only strife. The ancient Hebrew word shalom, means “peace.”
In the Bible, God’s peace—shalom—meant much more than simply the absence of war and strife. Shalom meant not only inner peace or spiritual peace; it meant wholeness and completeness throughout all creation. It meant the end of injustice. It meant the rich would no longer oppress the poor. It meant all brokenness would be set right and healed. It meant that people would love one another.
The hope of shalom was wrapped up in a single person, long foretold in Old Testament Bible prophecies. Someone would come, who would provide a way to peace. Peace came to earth nearly 2,000 years ago, heralded by angels, his birth witnessed by shepherds... Jesus... he is the peace. He changed everything. His arrival on this world opened the door to a new beginning for all humanity. Hope came into the world.
Jesus came and brought shalom with him. He calls everyone to discover and embrace his peace... infused with the hopes and promises of eternity.
Christmas... it’s all about a God who came to earth, to bring peace, to save sinners, to turn back the rage of heaven and restore hope in the hearts of man, woman and child.
Have a merry and joyful celebration of the birth of your personal SAVIOR!
