The ABC's of Christmas

2013 Advent Devotional Guide

A gift to you from Keep Believing Ministries
www.keepbelieving.com

Written by Ray Pritchard
Email questions and comments to
ray@keepbelieving.com

eBook design by Primedia eLaunch
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Christmas from A to Z

Have you ever tried to explain the real meaning of Christmas to a child? It isn't easy. There is so much tradition mixed up with spiritual truth that it's sometimes hard to tell Jesus from Santa Claus and the Wise Men from the snowmen.

Sometimes our children have a hard time understanding what it all means. The first frame of a newspaper cartoon shows a mother reading the Christmas story to her young son. The lad has a puzzled look on his face as he sorts it all out. Then he thinks to himself, "Let me see if I've got this straight . . . Christmas is baby Jesus' birthday, but I get the presents?" The final frame shows him with a satisfied grin as he says to himself, "Is this a great religion or what?!"

I suppose that’s how a lot of people think about Christmas.

When our oldest son had just turned two, we bought him the "Christmas ABC Book." We kept it for many years until the binding fell apart. Each letter of the alphabet connects with the biblical story in a little rhyme. For instance,

A means Angel . . . An Angel was the first to tell

That Christ had come on earth to dwell.

D means Donkey . . . A Donkey followed Joseph's track

And carried Mary on his back.

(That's okay, even though the Bible doesn't mention a donkey. It is quite possible that Mary did indeed ride a donkey since she was in the late stages of her pregnancy.)

It's good for children to know the ABCs of Christmas. Even more, it's good for all of us to see through the tinsel and fantasy to the great story of Bethlehem.

That’s what we’re going to do during this Advent journey. We’re going to let each letter of the alphabet teach us something important about the Christmas story. Along the way we’ll meet the Wise Men, the shepherds, and a bad king named Herod. We’ll also meet Joseph and Mary. Best of all, we’ll meet the One whose birthday we celebrate.

I invite you to journey with us through the Christmas Alphabet as we prepare for the coming of Christ. Let’s start with the letter A . . .

December 1

Angels

“Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” (Luke 2:13).

Suddenly!

It means without warning or prior announcement. One moment the angels weren’t there, and then they were everywhere. Let me amend that last statement a bit. The word “suddenly” means that the angels were nowhere to be seen, and all at once they filled the sky. Some questions come to mind at this point. If we had been there, would we have seen the angels? Could the people in Bethlehem see the angels? Could they be seen in Jerusalem—eight miles away? Could the sound of their voices be heard in other places, or did the angels reveal themselves only to the shepherds? We cannot fully answer these questions, but this much is certain: The angels were really there, and the shepherds really did hear them.

It is impossible to miss the supernatural element in the birth of Jesus. Angels pop up all over the Christmas story. An angel tells Mary she will give birth to Jesus. An angel tells Joseph to call his name Jesus. An angel warns Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt. An angel tells them when it’s safe to return to Israel. An angel announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds, and then the angelic choir serenades them.

But that’s not all. You have the mysterious star that led the Wise Men from some distant land all the way to Bethlehem to the very house where they found the baby Jesus. And the Wise Men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod but to go home another way. So there you have it—angels and stars and dreams. Supernatural stuff everywhere.

We believe something absolutely amazing.

Many miracles surround Christmas—the angels, the star, the dreams, the prophecies, and most of all, the virgin birth. But those miracles are just signs pointing to the greatest miracle of all: That we who live in this world have been visited by Someone from the “other world.” Someone from the world of light came to the world of darkness. Someone from the eternal came to the temporary. Someone from heaven came to live with us on earth.

The angels bring good news of great joy, the best news the world has ever heard.

There are more miracles to come on this Advent journey.

Let’s pray for faith to believe all over again as we get ready for Christmas this year.

Lord, as we begin this Advent journey, open our hearts so that we will believe in Christmas all over again. Amen.

December 2

Bethlehem

“Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:4).

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.”

It’s a perfect description.

A more out-of-the-way town could hardly be found in Judea. Bethlehem had only one claim to fame. A thousand years earlier David had been born there. His father Jesse lived there. He had been a shepherd on the hills outside the village. If there had been a Chamber of Commerce, they would have put up a billboard: “Welcome to Bethlehem—Home of King David.” But they didn’t have to do that, because all the Jews knew that a prophet named Micah had predicted that the Messiah would one day be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

It’s not a likely place for the birth of the Son of God.

We would probably choose Rome or Athens.

That would make more sense.

But God chose an out-of-the-way village in a forgotten corner of the Roman Empire.

That’s where it all started.

Somewhere I ran across this statement:

God declared war at Bethlehem.

That’s hardly the way we think of it, but it is not unbiblical. Ever since Eden, a battle has been raging between God and Satan for control of planet earth. When Adam and Eve sinned, Satan struck a blow for evil. From that time until this very hour, sin has reigned in every corner of this planet and has found a home in every human heart. All the pain and suffering we see around us–every bit of it–can be traced back to that fateful moment in the Garden of Eden. Since then the armies of evil have been on the march in every generation. They have landed wave after wave of soldiers on beachheads around the world. There are times when it seems as if the battle is over and evil will reign forever.

But if Christmas means anything, it is this: God wins in the end. At Bethlehem he launched a mighty counteroffensive that continues to this very day. It all started with a tiny baby boy named Jesus, born in a scandalous way, in a barn, to unmarried teenagers who were homeless and alone. The world had no idea what God was up to. Only in retrospect do we understand.

The familiar words of Phillips Brooks are a delight at this point:

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.

So he does!  May that be your experience this Christmas season.

O God, lead us again to the place where Mary laid her child so that we may know that you choose the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. Amen.

December 3

Circumcised

“At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21).

This may be the most forgotten verse in the Christmas story.

But there is something here we need to notice.

The baby was circumcised and officially given the name Jesus at the same time, on the eighth day after his birth.

What would it cost Jesus to provide for our salvation? He paid for our sins with the price of his own blood. Here is the vital connection. Jesus is just one week old, and already he enters into the pain of human existence. Eight days old and his blood is already being shed.

Joseph probably performed the circumcision himself. If that is true, then it is also symbolic. Jesus begins his life by shedding his own blood at the hand of his Father. Those few drops of blood point to the bloody way his life will end. The infant’s cradle is tinged with a crimson reflection from the Redeemer’s cross.

A Christmas play asks the question, “What did Joseph do the day after Christ was born?” We assume that the day Jesus was born, Joseph probably helped with Mary and the baby, making things as comfortable as he could. But what about the next day? The play imagines that since Joseph is a carpenter, he begins making a crib for Jesus. As he does, he recalls the celebration they had with the shepherds, and says to himself, “If they treated Him like this when He was just a baby, how will they treat Him when they find out He is the Son of God?” At that exact moment in the play, the lights suddenly go off, and all you can hear is a hammer hitting wood as a spotlight splashes its beams on a bloody cross.

A contemporary Christmas card captures this well. A baby’s footprint appears on the cover with the words, “Unto you is born this day a Savior.” When you open the card, the phrase, “Which is Christ the Lord” is superimposed over a grown man’s handprint, complete with a bloody hole in the palm.

There is a direct line from his birth to his circumcision to the cross. Circumcision foreshadows the blood he will shed for the sins of the world.

How far is God willing to go? We can’t even imagine the answer to that question. There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. At Christmastime, we do not celebrate the birth of some aloof God who stands afar off. No, we celebrate the birth of Immanuel—God with us.

How far is God willing to go? Whatever pit you’re in, God is willing to enter that pit and meet you there. That’s what he did 2000 years ago.

Almighty God, you did not spare yourself from anything. You came all the way to the bottom because that’s where we were. You did not hold back. You paid the penalty the law demanded so that we might be set free. Thank you for Jesus Christ whose blood has set us free. Amen.

December 4

Dwelt

“The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NASB).

“Dwelt” is an unusual word.

It means to live among.

One version uses the phrase “moved into the neighborhood.”

Perhaps an illustration would help. Let’s suppose that I owned an ant farm, and for reasons known only to myself, I loved those ants more than anything in the world. How could I communicate my love to them? I could shout, “I love you,” but because I speak English and they speak ant, they wouldn’t understand. I could write them a letter, but they couldn’t read it. I could shrink down to ant size, but they wouldn’t recognize me. But if I had supernatural powers, there is one thing I could do. I could take on the form of an ant, be born as an ant, live as an ant, and communicate as they do. Then I could find a way to say, “I love you.”

That is what God did. He didn’t mail a letter or shout from heaven. He did the one thing we could understand. God himself came down and entered the human race. He moved into the neighborhood and became just like us so that we would hear him saying, “I love you.”

We wouldn’t have done it that way. We’d schedule a press conference, call the TV stations, hire a press agent, have a parade, call in the dignitaries, sell tickets, and make a big deal so all the world could see. We would take the Madison Avenue approach.

But that’s not God’s way. Read the New Testament again. Instead of flash and splash, there is a frightened father, an exhausted mother, a dirty stable in wintertime, rags for diapers, and a feeding trough. There he is, ignored by the mighty and powerful—a tiny, helpless baby. Immanuel—God with us.

It’s so simple that you know it must be true. Only God would have done it that way.

A young man sat in my office and listened as I explained the gospel to him. Finally he said, “I just can’t believe all that stuff.” So I asked him, “What would it take for you to believe?” “I would believe if God came down and stood in front of me and told me himself,” he said. “My friend, he already has come down,” I replied. “He came down 2,000 years ago and lived among us. If you don’t believe that, then I have nothing better to offer you.”

One of the verses of a famous Christmas carol says it very well:

Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord.

Late in time behold him come, offspring of the Virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate Deity.

Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.”

Here is some really good news. Jesus moved into our neighborhood. Have you met your new neighbor yet?

Lord Jesus, we are glad that you moved into our neighborhood. If you had stayed in heaven, we would never have met you. Thank you for making us part of your forever family. Amen.

December 5

East

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?’” (Matthew 2:1-2).

A great mystery surrounds the Magi.

Who are they?

Where do they come from?

The term “Magi” refers to a special class of priests in the Persian Empire. We know from other sources that the Magi had existed for hundreds of years before the time of Christ. They had their own religion, their own priesthood, and their own writings. It appears from the book of Daniel that they existed in his day, and it seems that Daniel was appointed head over the cast of the Magi in the time of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:11).

Who were the Magi? They were the professors and philosophers of their day. They were brilliant and highly educated scholars who were trained in medicine, history, religion, prophecy and astronomy. They were also trained in what we would call astrology.

These influential leaders served as advisors to the king. It would not be wrong to call them king-makers because they functioned as political advisors to the Persian rulers.

Finally, they were highly-educated men who thought deeply about life and consequently it is perfectly legitimate to call them “Wise Men.”

We are greatly helped by this fact: We know that the Jews and Persians had intermingled for at least 500 years. It seems that they considered Daniel (who was a good Jew) as one of their own. Since the time of Daniel the Persians had known of the Jewish expectation of a Messiah. It is possible that they even knew from the prophecy of the “70 weeks” in Daniel 9 the approximate time of his appearing. What they did not know was the exact time. When they saw the star, they knew the time had come.

It is often said that “wise men still seek him.” That is true, and we should give these Magi all the credit they deserve because they risked a great deal to journey all the way to Jerusalem in search of the “king of the Jews.”

Think of how many barriers they had to cross to get to Jesus. There was a culture barrier, a distance barrier, a language barrier, a racial barrier, a religious barrier, not to speak of a hostile king and indifferent religious leaders. It wasn’t easy for them to find Jesus, but they did.

If they found him, then so can you.

Lord Jesus, grant us the zeal of the Wise Men first to find you and then to tell others where they can find you too. Amen.

December 6

Fullness

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4).

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4).

The word “fullness” speaks of something that is complete and fully developed, like a ripe apple ready to be picked or like a pregnant woman feeling labor pains, ready to deliver her baby. It describes the moment in history when the stage was perfectly set. At that moment, not earlier and not later, God sent forth his Son.

Think of how unlikely it all seems:

A decree from Caesar Augustus.

An angel appearing to Mary.

A virgin becoming pregnant.

An angel coming to Joseph in a dream.

A baby who will be called Immanuel.

A mysterious star in the east.

A group of Wise Men showing up in Jerusalem.

Angels appearing to shepherds.

A trip to Bethlehem.

An inn that was full.

A stable that was available.

A babe wrapped in rags and placed in a feeding trough.

A star that led the Wise Men to the right house in Bethlehem.

Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

A dying king who tried to kill the baby.

A desperate journey to Egypt.

Another journey to Nazareth.

Pretty amazing stuff if you stop to think about it. What are the chances that all of those things that had to happen in exactly the right way would have happened? That a pagan emperor would issue a decree at just the right moment in history, when the Pax Romana was in full force, when the world was yearning restlessly for deliverance, that angels would show up to a young man and a young woman, that they would believe the angels, that the virgin would become pregnant, that Joseph would decide not to divorce her, that the star would shine in the east, that the Wise Men would travel hundreds of miles seeking the baby, and all of it would finally focus on a stable outside an inn in the “little town of Bethlehem,” where the most incredible event in history took place.

C. S. Lewis says it this way:

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this.

He is entirely right about that. Sometimes we focus on peripheral questions (how did Jesus turn water into wine?) that distract us from the central truth of our faith. We believe God became a man. That the Creator became part of the creation. That the infinite became finite. That Almighty God took on the form of a man and was born as a tiny baby. This is the central truth of our faith.

When everything was just right, God sent his Son to be our Savior.

That’s what Christmas is all about.

Lord, thank you for arranging all the details centuries in advance. You set the stage, then Christ was born. Open our eyes so that we may see him clearly. Amen.

December 7

Glory

“Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14).

“Whatever else is or is not true, this one thing is certain—man is not what he was meant to be.” G. K. Chesterton

We were made for glory, but our glory faded a long time ago. First we disobeyed, then we died on the inside, then we started dying on the outside, then we turned to our own devices, then we said, “God, we don’t need you at all. Leave us alone!” And we wonder why the world is the way it is. Look in the mirror. “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

And God said, “I will not leave you alone. I will not let you destroy yourself, each other, and the world I have made. I love you too much to leave you alone.” So he sent prophets. We killed them. He wrote letters. We ignored them. He told us how to live, and we said, “Who are you to tell us what to do?” We mocked the God who made us, we broke his laws, we said we didn’t need him, and we made up our own gods that we liked much better because they looked so much like us.

So God came to visit us.

He came as a baby, and when he grew up, we killed him. Murdered him. Hung him on a cross. That’s the thanks we gave to God for visiting us. But we were wrong about everything. After we killed him, he came back from the dead—proving that he was right all along and we were really wrong—dead wrong about everything—and still God loved us and came from heaven to earth on the greatest rescue mission in history.

He came because we blew it so badly.

He came and we killed him.

He died and became our Savior.

No one but God could have done something like that. What a story! What a Christ! C.S. Lewis said, “The son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” God has done it all. That’s the good news of Christmas: God has done it all. The only thing left to you and me is to believe. God wrapped up his Son in swaddling clothes and said to the whole world, “This is my Christmas gift to you.”

The glory of God shines forth from that manger in Bethlehem.

His glory still shines today.

One day his glory will fill the earth.

Christmas matters because truth matters. And the heart of the truth is that God did not leave us alone, but in our misery he came to visit us one dark night in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.

O Holy Child, be born in us today that your light might shine in us and fill this dark world with your glory. Amen.

December 8

Herod

“Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared” (Matthew 2:7).

If you’re looking for a bad guy in the Christmas story, here he is.

There’s nothing good to say about Herod.

He lied to the Magi.

He killed the baby boys of Bethlehem.

He tried to kill Jesus.

By the time this story takes place, Herod is a sick old man, clinging desperately to his power. History records that he was a great builder, and that much is true. He reconstructed the temple in Jerusalem so that it became a grand edifice. He built up the port city of Caesarea, and he constructed a vast palace for himself.

Along the way he gained a reputation as a man you didn’t cross because Herod the Great was a killer. That was his nature. He killed out of spite, and he killed to stay in power. Human life meant nothing to him. The great historian Josephus called him “barbaric,” another writer dubbed him “the malevolent maniac,” yet another named him “the great pervert.”

Perhaps his basic character can best be seen by one incident in the year 7 B.C. Herod is an old man now. He has been in power 41 years. He knows he doesn’t have much longer to live. Word comes that his sons are plotting to overthrow him. They are sons by his late wife Mariamne. He orders them put to death … by strangling.

No wonder Caesar Augustus said, “It is safer to be Herod’s sow than his son.”

This is the man who told the Magi, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him” (Matthew 2:8). Why didn’t Herod go himself? Because he didn’t want to come face to face with the King sent from heaven. That would be too much. He would be forced to make a decision. At all costs he wanted to avoid that. So he didn’t go and he didn’t send the soldiers. He sent the Wise Men instead.

You know the rest of the story. The star miraculously reappeared and led them to the exact house. When they found baby Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped him, offering him gold, frankincense and myrrh.

As I read Matthew 2, one fact strikes me above all others. Everybody involved had the same basic information. They all knew a baby had been born in Bethlehem and they all knew who the baby was. Herod knew and tried to kill him; the scribes knew and ignored him; the Wise Men knew and worshipped him.

If information alone could save you, then even Herod would have been saved. But information alone is not enough. It is not what you know but what you do with what you know that saves you.

If you believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world, then do what the Wise Men did. Come with an open heart, bow down before the Lord Jesus and worship him. As the hymn says, “Come and worship. Come and worship. Worship Christ the newborn King.”

Father, give us eyes to see the baby Jesus in a new and fresh way this Christmas season. Help us to see him as he really is–a king sleeping in a stable. Give us ears to hear the angels singing. Give us feet like the shepherds to go swiftly to Bethlehem. Give us hands like the Wise Men to offer him the best that we have. Amen.

December 9

Inn

“Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared” (Matthew 2:7).

He was born like this in order that the humble might feel free to come to him. The very manner of his birth—turned away from the inn, born in a stable—means that God welcomes the rejected, the abused, the mistreated, the forgotten, the overlooked, to come to him for salvation. “We might tremble to approach a throne, but we cannot fear to approach a manger” (Charles Spurgeon).

If Jesus had been born in Paris or in Beverly Hills, only the rich and famous would feel at home with him. But since he was born in a stable, all the outsiders of the world (and there are far more outsiders than insiders) instinctively feel a kinship with Jesus.

I find this an inspiring thought. The fact that there was no room in the inn turns out to be much more than an incidental detail. Indeed, it is central to who Jesus is. Now that we know why he came, surely we will say, “He had to be born like this. It couldn’t have happened any other way.”

Is there a hint here of his upcoming death? I believe there is. Turned away from the inn and resting in a feeding trough, he was already bearing the only cross a baby can bear—extreme poverty and the contempt and indifference of mankind. In the words of Francis of Assisi, “For our sakes he was born a stranger in an open stable; he lived without a place of his own wherein to lay his head, subsisting by the charity of good people; and he died naked on a cross in the close embrace of holy poverty.”

This baby lying forgotten in an exposed stable, resting in a feeding trough, is God’s appointed “sign” to us all. This is a true incarnation. God has come to the world in a most unlikely way. This is what Philippians 2:7 means when it says that he “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Nothing about the baby Jesus appeared supernatural. There were no halos, no angels visible, and no choirs singing. If you had been there, and if you had no other information, you would have concluded that this was just a baby born to a young couple down on their luck. Nothing about the outward circumstances pointed to God. Yet all of it—every part of it, every single, solitary, seemingly random detail—was planned by the Father before the foundation of the world. To the unseeing eye, nothing looks less like God; to those who understand, God’s fingerprints are everywhere.

There was no room for Jesus that night in Bethlehem. Will you make room for him in your heart this year?

My Lord, though the world has no room for you, come and dwell in my heart today. There will always be room for you! Amen.

December 10

Just

“Her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).

Let me briefly list for you the things we know about Joseph:

- His father was Jacob.

- His family hometown was Bethlehem in Judea, but he lived in Nazareth in Galilee. That meant that Joseph and Mary had to travel about 95 miles in the dead of winter in order to register for the census.

- He is from the royal line of David. The genealogy in Matthew 1 makes that clear.

- He was a carpenter by trade.

- He was a poor man. We know that because when he and Mary presented Jesus in the Temple, they brought a turtledove to sacrifice. Jews only did that when they could not afford a lamb.

- He was a devout man.

Nowhere does his faith shine brighter than when he thinks Mary has been unfaithful to him. He loved her so much that he was unwilling to expose her to public humiliation. He decided to divorce her quietly.

Having made his decision . . . he didn’t do it. As one writer put it, there was a “short but tragic struggle between his legal conscience and his love.” Then one night, it happened. He had a dream and in the dream God spoke to him.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” (Matthew 1:20).

Joseph needed assurance. He couldn’t marry Mary until he was sure it was all right. He had to know the truth. God met him at the point of his need at exactly the right moment. He told Joseph the one thing he most wanted to hear: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.”

And later, when the angel gave him the good news that the child was conceived through the Holy Spirit, he gladly took her as his wife. He took Jesus as his own son and gave him the name Jesus.

In these days of confusion, Joseph offers us a wonderful model of what a godly man looks like:

He was strong when he could have been weak.

He was tender when he could have been harsh.

He was thoughtful when he could have been hasty.

He was trusting when he could have doubted.

There is one other line of proof about the kind of man Joseph was. When Jesus grew up and began his ministry, he chose one word above all others to describe what God is like. He called him Father.

Where did he learn about fathers? From Joseph, a good and just man.

Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing Joseph. Grant me that same courage to trust you even when my circumstances make no sense to me. Amen.

December 11

Kingdom

“He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).

It is easy to forget how revolutionary these words must have sounded in the beginning. They were …

Spoken by an angel

To a virgin

Announcing a baby

Who will one day

Rule the world.

And it came totally out of the blue.

To a teenage girl who was a virgin.

In Nazareth, a minor city in a remote corner of the Roman Empire.

It didn’t seem likely.

How would Mary’s baby have a kingdom that never ends?

After all, she and Joseph were betrothed (more than engagement, less than what we call marriage), they were poor, she was pregnant, and they didn’t have connections with the movers and shakers in ancient Israel.

They were just a young couple about to face a crisis pregnancy.

The whole affair would cast a shadow over them and lead to rumors and insinuations that would follow Jesus during his earthly ministry.

Even now after 2000 years, the angel’s message seems mind-blowing. What a series of predictions he made. This week my mind was drawn to the last phrase of verse 33, “And of his kingdom there will be no end.” As I thought about those improbable words, I found myself singing the Hallelujah Chorus, especially the part where the choir repeats “And he shall reign for ever and ever, For ever and ever, forever and ever.”

The kingdom of this world

Is become the kingdom of our Lord,

And of his Christ, and of his Christ;

And he shall reign for ever and ever,

For ever and ever, forever and ever.

Jesus has a kingdom.

He is building it in human hearts around the world.

Someday he will return and visibly reign on the earth.

That kingdom—his kingdom—will never end.

The true followers of Jesus are the ultimate revolutionaries because they have concluded that only one thing will never end . . .

His kingdom

There are some men and women who are not like everyone else. They have been gripped with the thought that the kingdom of God is the greatest thing in the world, and that one thought has revolutionized their lives and reoriented their values. Kingdom issues are at stake. That’s the only possible explanation for the way they live.

Everyone reading my words has a choice to make. Either you join yourself to the kingdoms of this world that are doomed to fail. Or you join forces with Jesus Christ and follow him as your Savior and Lord.

His kingdom will never end. Why would you follow anyone else?

Lord Jesus, your kingdom is the only one that will last forever. Help me to live by kingdom values today. Amen.

December 12

Leaped

“The baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:44).

That’s what Elizabeth said to Mary when they met.

Elizabeth’s baby was John the Baptist.

He evidently started his career early.

We know that babies in the womb can see and hear and react to sounds and light. Consider a child in his mother’s womb in the latter stages of pregnancy. Even before birth, he learns to recognize the voice of his father and mother. Marlene has told me that when she was pregnant and sitting in church, when I started to preach, each one of our three boys would recognize my voice from inside the womb and begin to move around as soon as I started my sermon. This happened so regularly that it could not have been by chance. They knew my voice even though they did not know me. But my voice—that they recognized!

It was the same way with John the Baptist.

His whole purpose in life was to point people to Jesus.

He came to prepare the way of the Lord.

He leaped for joy inside his mother’s womb, meaning he did a kind of prenatal cartwheel that all pregnant mothers will understand.

This is more than natural effects at work. God filled Elizabeth with the Spirit and her baby leaped within her for joy. Why should this surprise us? The God who can conceive Jesus within Mary’s womb can also cause John the Baptist to leap for joy inside Elizabeth’s womb. This miracle would have been a great consolation to Mary in her difficult circumstances. John was unaware of the meaning of his movement, yet his leaping was inspired by the Lord. The Holy Spirit was at work within him even before he was born.

Does Jesus seem far away to you?

Do you wonder if he really understands?

This passage (Luke 1:39-44) is part of God’s answer to you. One writer put it this way:

Two babies meet while still in the womb of their mothers and the Holy Spirit bears witness between them. God comes into the womb of a woman and so identifies with humankind in our weakest, and most vulnerable condition (Presbyterians Pro-Life Monthly, 2009).

This passage shines a light on Christmas because it means that our Lord was part of the human race from conception. He was born on Christmas, but his human life began nine months earlier. He was truly a Savior who became like us even before he was born.

Consider that the Lord you worship was once an embryo in Mary’s womb.

How weak, how frail the Savior appears!

How great a distance the Son must travel to enter our world!

He is truly Immanuel—God with us!

Lord Jesus, may I never take for granted the miracle of your entrance into our world. Amen.

December 13

Manger

“She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7).

What’s wrong with this picture?

The answer is simple: Jesus doesn’t belong here. He’s the Son of God from heaven. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like a vagrant or a criminal. He deserves the best the world has to offer. He comes from heaven to earth—and ends up in a stable? How can that be? Let me press the point home another way. God could have done better. Suppose you had all power and could choose the time and place and manner of your son’s birth. Would you choose to have him born outside, in a stable? That doesn’t make any sense.

What’s going on here?

The world had no room for Christ, and it has no room for Christ now. John 1:11 puts it very plainly: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” Jesus came “home” to his own people—and they wouldn’t take him in. He came to the people who should have known him best, and they wanted nothing to do with him.

If Jesus were born today, it would happen in a ramshackle tenement building or in a field in the country or in a remote village in India. The world that had no room for him then has no room for him now.

His humiliation started early and continued to the very end. He was born outside because they wouldn’t let Mary and Joseph come inside. During his ministry he told his disciples that “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). He owned nothing but the clothes on his back, and when he was crucified, the soldiers gambled for his robe. When he died, they buried him in a borrowed tomb.

He was an “outsider” in every sense—he came from “outside” this earth, he was born “outside” the inn, and he died “outside” the city walls.

The “No Vacancy” signs were there for our benefit. God could have made a room available. He could have created a hospital or a palace in Bethlehem if he had so desired. The sequence of events that unfolded—the census, the long journey, no room at the inn, “no crib for a bed,” the feeding trough, the “swaddling clothes"—all of it was planned by God even though it all appeared to happen by chance. God willed there would be no room in the inn not for the sake of Jesus, but for our sakes, that we might learn who Jesus is and why he came.

May God grant to each of us faith to believe and an open heart to say, “Yes, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for you.”

Lord Jesus, we pray today for those who are struggling to know you. Pull back the curtains of unbelief so that they might be filled with faith to believe in you. Amen.

December 14

Night

“He rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt” (Matthew 2:14).

The sequence of events goes like this:

1. Joseph and Mary were in Nazareth when the conception of Jesus took place.

2. They traveled to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

3. Herod the Great ordered all the baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem to be slaughtered.

4. An angel warned Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt for safety.

5. They left by night, fled to Egypt, and stayed there until Herod died.

6. Then they returned to Nazareth where Jesus was raised.

There are many mysteries about all this:

1. We don’t know how old Jesus was when they went to Egypt.

2. We don’t know where they stayed in Egypt.

3. We don’t know how long they stayed in Egypt.

4. We don’t know how old Jesus was when they returned to Nazareth.

Because Herod wanted the baby Jesus dead, he ordered the male babies of Bethlehem put to death. That’s why an angel warned Joseph who took Mary and Jesus during the night and fled to Egypt. After Herod died, an angel told them it was safe to return. But when he heard that Herod’s son was reigning in his father’s place, he took Mary and Jesus and returned to Nazareth.

Matthew 2:14  says Joseph and Mary took Jesus and left during the night, fleeing for Egypt because they feared what Herod might do to their baby. Given Herod’s slaughter of the baby boys of Bethlehem, that was a wise move. Whenever God does anything good in this world, the devil puts his demon spirits into overdrive, stirring up men like Herod to do their dastardly deeds.

The path of life takes many unexpected zigs and zags, and we all find ourselves fleeing to Egypt for safety from time to time. True greatness waits its time. It does not rush the Lord or complain when things happen slowly or when the plans of life suddenly are overturned. By faith we go down to Egypt in the middle of the night, knowing that one day by faith we will come “out of Egypt.” Both the going and the coming are part of God’s plan for us.

One writer on this passage spoke of the “cross-handed” providence of God. He means that the ways of God rarely make sense to us in a moment of crisis.

Though he was the Son of God, Jesus had to escape to Egypt in the middle of the night. As he was not exempt from the trials of this world, neither are we. But God will have the last word. Herod will die, Jesus will return home, and God’s will will be done.

Perhaps you feel as if you are in a dark place at this moment. Be encouraged, child of God. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Loving Lord, you ordain both the rising of the sun and the coming of the night. When my way seems dark, light my path so that I might follow you. Amen.

December 15

Opposed

“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed” (Luke 2:34).

Call this the bad news about the good news.

Not everyone loves Jesus.

Not everyone is glad he came.

The scribes ignored him.

Herod tried to kill him.

Their descendants will nail him to a cross.

He is the Great Divider of Men. He will cause many to fall. He will cause many to rise. Many will speak against him, and in speaking against him, the hidden thoughts of the heart will be revealed.

What a thing to say about a tiny baby. “Mary, they are going to touch this child, and you won’t be able to do anything about it. They are going to hate him, they are going to lie about him, they’ll spread rumors about you and Joseph, they will smear his name with malicious lies. you will have to stand by helplessly and watch it happen.”

Down the road it all came true. Eventually they questioned not only his parentage, but also his mental ability. They snickered and said, “He thinks he’s the Son of God. But he’s just filled with demons.” In the end hatred took full control and they arrested Jesus and put him on trial as a seditious blasphemer. They beat him within an inch of his life, leaving his skin in tattered ribbons. After the trial, he was condemned to die. In the end, Mary stood by the cross and watched her son die an agonizing, brutal, bloody, inhuman death. Amid the stench and gore of crucifixion, Mary stood by her son, unable to staunch the flow of blood, unable to wipe his brow, unable to hold his hand.

It all happened exactly as Simeon had predicted. When Mary watched her son die, a sword pierced her soul. Above the cradle stands the cross. This little baby was born to die. Dag Hammarskjold, late Secretary-General of the United Nations, put it this way:

How proper it is that Christmas should follow Advent. For to him who looks toward the future, the Manger is situated on Golgotha, and the Cross has already been raised in Bethlehem. (Hymns for the Family of God, p. 189)

The joy of Christmas leads on to the agony of Good Friday. He was born to end up that way.

The way you respond to Jesus reveals what is in your heart. Think about that. The way you respond to Jesus tells us who you are and what you are and what is in your heart. But that’s not all. The way you respond to Jesus tells us where you are going and how you are going to get there. most of all, the way you respond to Jesus tells us where you are going to spend eternity.

Gracious Lord, give me grace to take my stand with Jesus today and never to be ashamed of him. I care not what others say. I will follow Jesus! Amen.

December 16

Ponder

“Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

The word “treasured” has the idea of counting things up, almost like making a list so that you will not forget anything. It’s what you do at the end of a very busy day and you want to make sure you don’t forget anything that has happened.

The word “pondered” goes deeper than “wondering.” It means to take the events as you have laid them out in your memory and then to go beneath the surface to try to understand what it all means and why it happened the way it did.

No doubt Mary went back to what happened to Zacharias and Elizabeth and the birth of John the Baptist. I’m sure she thought about what Gabriel said, and how Joseph responded when she told him she was pregnant, and then the amazing dream Joseph had. She must have recalled the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and all the events of the birth itself, including the surprise visit of the shepherds. She certainly had plenty to think about. No doubt she continued to wonder why God had chosen her, and I’m sure she pondered what was ahead for her newborn son.

Pondering is hard work, which is why many of us never get around to it. And yet this is the perfect time of year to do it. What better time than now to ponder what God has been teaching you? To look back over the last 12 months and consider the ways and works of God in your life and in the world around you?

Here is a simple exercise that may help you do some serious pondering before 2014 arrives:

Set aside at least an hour of uninterrupted time.

Find a quiet place. Don’t forget to turn off the TV, the computer, and put your smartphone on silent.

Begin with a prayer asking God to show you the things he wants you to learn.

Then think about the last 12 months. What has God been teaching you? What lessons seem to come up again and again? What have you learned about yourself (positively and negatively) this year?

What have you learned about God’s character this year?

Ask the Lord for insight as to where he might be leading you in the year to come.

I believe if you do this exercise with an open heart, God will meet give you insight about the past and hope for the future.

Mary pondered what God had been doing in her life. Now it’s your turn.

O Lord of All, give me eyes to see your hand at work in my life. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may love you more and serve you better. Amen.

December 17

Question

“How will this be” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34 NIV).

This is a perfectly natural question. Mary is betrothed but not formally married. She has never had sexual relations with any man. How then can she become pregnant and bear a son?

It is instructive to note that Mary does not doubt the angel’s word, even though it must have sounded incredible. She believed what the angel said. Her only question had to do with how it would happen.

In essence she says to Gabriel, “All right. I’m willing to do my part, but you need to explain how we’ll handle this one little problem.” That’s real faith. That’s believing the impossible. That’s trusting God when the “facts” argue against it.

In the history of the church Mary has often been portrayed as a kind of misty, other-worldly figure. If you look at some of the great paintings of Mary, they make her look so peaceful that you almost forget she was a real person. That’s a shame because Luke makes it clear that she was very real, with very real doubts, very real questions and very real faith. Nowhere is this seen with more clarity than in verse 38:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Without exaggeration, we may call this one of the greatest statements of faith in all the Bible. We read it so often that we forget how great it really is. But remember, it’s 2:00 in the afternoon, you’re 16 years old and very much in love. Your mom asks you go fetch some water to do the laundry and on your way to the well, you run into a man you’ve never seen before. He tells you that A. You’re going to get pregnant B. You’re going to give birth to a son C. He’s going to be the Son of God. When you ask how, he says, “Don’t worry about it. The Holy Spirit will cover you like a cloud and you’ll end up pregnant. That’s all there is to it.” What do you say to that?

Mary said yes. Yes to God, yes to the impossible, yes to the plan of God.

Did her heart skip a beat when she said yes? There she is, teen head tilted high, her hands trembling just a bit, wide-eyed, nervous, open-mouthed, questioning but not afraid, wondering but not terrified, unsure but not uncertain. When the angel said, “Nothing is impossible with God,” Mary took a deep breath and said, “Be it unto me as you have said.” And with those words Christmas came to the world.

Our Father, we do not pray for more faith; we pray rather for courage to exercise the faith we already have. Make us like Mary, willing to believe in spite of our doubts. Amen.

December 18

Remember

“To show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant” (Luke 1:72).

What was it like just before Jesus came to the earth?

Part of the answer comes from the song of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. You can read the whole song in Luke 1:67-79. Some of it sounds strange to our ears. But that’s part of the great value of this passage. Zechariah’s song reveals the deep faith of the Jewish people on the eve of Messiah’s birth. For hundreds of years the people of God had been waiting for Messiah to come. Now at last he is almost here.

All of that is on Zechariah’s heart and is comprehended in this one single truth: At long last God has visited his people! At long last God has kept his promise. At long last God has arrived on the scene. The Visitor from heaven has come to us.

It’s hard for us to grasp the magnitude of this thought. Nobody appeared more forgotten than the Jews chafing under Roman rule. Reduced to an obscure province in the Roman Empire, they were rejected, overlooked and despised. Nearly 1,000 years had passed since the glorious days of King David. Over 400 years had passed since their last prophet—a man named Malachi.

Now at last, the moment has arrived. As Zechariah looks down at his infant son, he knows that the crucial moment of world history has arrived. In his arms he holds the baby who will grow up to prepare the way of the Lord. That could only mean one thing:

The Messiah is on the way!

The long wait is over!

God has remembered his promise!

He has visited his people!

Christmas is only one week away. As the commercials keep telling us, there are only 7 shopping days left until Christmas Day. But think about what else that means. There are also …

- 7 praising days until Christmas

- 7 singing days until Christmas

- 7 worshiping days until Christmas

How are you going to spend the 7 days that are left for you before Christmas finally arrives? God has visited his people in the person of Jesus Christ. Now that same Divine Visitor comes and knocks at the door of your heart. Will you open the door and let him in?

He come and knocks. Can you hear the sound echoing in your heart? He stands patiently at the door, waiting for you to open and bid him enter.

Good news, my friend. The visitor from heaven is here at last! Will you, like Zechariah of old, drop everything and welcome him into your heart? Or are you too busy this year to be bothered with Jesus?

Lord Jesus, grant that in all my going and coming that I might not be too busy for you. You are welcome in my heart and my home today! Amen.

December 19

Sign

“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12).

A strange sign.

A baby in a manger.

What does it mean?

Jesus came because we made such a mess of things. God said, “I will not leave you alone. I will not let you destroy yourself, each other, and the world I have made. I love you too much to leave you alone.” After we had trashed everything, God said, “I’m coming down there so you’ll know once and for all how much I love you.” We didn’t pay any attention; it didn’t even make sense to us. How could God visit us? But he did—and he came to the world in a very strange way. He entered a virgin’s womb and came out as a baby, born in Bethlehem, a baby named Jesus, born to save us from our sins.

So he came as a baby, and when he grew up, we killed him. Murdered him. Hung him on a cross. That’s the thanks we gave to God for visiting us. But we were wrong about everything. After we killed him, he came back from the dead—proving that he was right all along and we were really wrong—dead wrong about everything—and still God loved us and came from heaven to earth on the greatest rescue mission in history.

He came because we blew it so badly.

He came and we killed him.

He died and became our Savior.

No one but God could have done something like that. What a story! What a Christ! C.S. Lewis said, “The son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” God has done it all. That’s the good news of Christmas: God has done it all. God wrapped up his Son in swaddling clothes and said to the whole world, “This is my Christmas gift to you.”

That’s the sign!

We mess things up, and God sends a baby in a manger.

This is the central truth of Christianity. God has entered human history in order to provide for our salvation. What we could not do, he did for us through his Son. Everything else flows from this truth. If he had not been born, he could not have died for our sins. And he would not have risen from the dead. He had to become like us in order to save us. There was no other way.

Christmas matters because truth matters. And the heart of the truth is that God did not leave us alone, but in our misery he came to visit us one dark night in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.

Christmas is all about who we are, and who God is, and how far he will go for us.

And the sign of his love is a baby wrapped in rags lying in a manger.

Lord Jesus, we need you to save us from ourselves because we are like sheep, always going astray. We need you to repair the broken places and fill the gaping holes in our soul! Come, Lord, we need you right now. Amen.

December 20

Terrified

“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:9 HCSB).

Translators handle that last word in various ways:

“Terrified.”

“Very frightened.”

“Sore afraid.”

I like that last one the best because it’s both archaic and descriptive. Though we never use the phrase “sore afraid,” somehow we know exactly what it means.

It’s the natural reaction when God suddenly enters our world. One moment you and the other guys are chatting out in the fields while the sheep sleep peacefully. It’s a beautiful night in Judea, the sky is filled with stars, and you are glad to be a shepherd.

Suddenly an angel shows up and scares you to death. If an angel of the Lord stood before me in the middle of the night, I would be “sore afraid” too.

This seems to happen whenever an angel shows up for the first time:

The angel said to Mary, “Fear not” (Luke 1:30).

The angel said to Joseph, “Fear not” (Matthew 1:20).

The angel said to the shepherds, “Fear not” (Luke 2:10).

Sometimes we need a “divine disruption” so that God can speak clearly to us. When Christ came to this sad world, God sent the angels to say, “Pay attention. Something big is happening here!”

If our greatest need had been education, God would have sent a teacher.

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent a banker.

If our greatest need had been advice, God would have sent a counselor.

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent an entertainer.

But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent a Savior. His name is Jesus. He is Christ the Lord, the Son of God who came from heaven to earth.

Are you overcome with worry? Weighed down with fear? Are you “sore afraid” about your future? God’s answer to your fear is not a theory or a doctrine. God’s answer is not a seminar or a book to read.

God’s answer is wrapped up in a baby named Jesus. And not just any Jesus, but only the Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the New Testament. He alone is the Lord from heaven. He alone can save us. All that God has for you and me is wrapped up in his Son. No matter what difficulties we face or the decisions we must make, in the end God leads us back to that simple one-word answer: “Jesus.”

In an interview with David Frost on PBS, Billy Graham said he hoped the last word he uttered before dying was simply this: “Jesus.” We can’t do any better than that.

Heavenly Father, may faith rise to banish our fear because if God be for us, and if God be with us, who can be against us? Amen.

December 21

Until

“After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9).

What exactly was the “star” the Wise Men saw in the east?

Frankly, we don’t know. The particular Greek word is a very general one that could refer to any bright object in the sky. It could refer to a star or a planet or a meteor or even to a comet. It could refer to some unusual conjunction of the planets that produced an extremely bright object in the skies. Or it may be that the “star” was a special heavenly light prepared by God to guide the Magi. Evidently this “star” appeared in the east to alert the Magi to begin their journey. It disappeared and then reappeared after they left Herod to journey to Bethlehem.

Somehow they knew it was “his” star and they were overjoyed when they saw it (Matthew 2:10). It led them to the very home where Mary and Joseph were taking care of the baby. That doesn’t sound like a comet or a meteor to me. It sounds more like a special light from God sent to direct the Magi to Jesus.

They followed it until it came to rest over the place where the child was. The word “until” means that the guidance was very precise. The star was a kind of divine GPS that led them all the way from Persia in the east to Jerusalem in the west and from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and then to the precise house where Jesus was staying with Mary and Joseph.

Some missionary friends serving in Nigeria sent out an email with their reflections on the “Star of Bethlehem”:

At this season of the year, we are aware of legendary stargazers who were also amazed. Their focus was a single star—a star hidden among many others, but so different. A star that would lead them to the Light of the World. As we have moved through this Advent season, our family devotion time considered some of the scientific explanations behind the star the Magi sighted and pursued. Whatever the explanation, the Magi themselves faced a decision: Were they going to pursue the star? At what cost and for how long? Were they going to move out of their comfort zone in order to search for something small yet priceless?

We are struck this holiday season by the awareness that all of us face the same decision. Will we pursue Jesus? Will we recognize the amazing signs God places around us that point to the reality of the God-Man, Jesus Christ? Will we journey to get to know him?

Let us lay aside our cares and follow the Wise Men on their journey to Bethlehem. A baby lies there who is the Light of the World. The King in the cradle. Immanuel. God with us. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus, Savior, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Lord Jesus, may we be like the Wise Men who were guided to you by a star. Give us wisdom to seek you and light to find you. Amen.

December 22

Virgin

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23).

These words force us to confront what we believe about Jesus Christ. Who is he? Where did he come from? At issue is the supernatural character of our Lord. Is he truly the Son of God from heaven? If you answer yes, you’ll have no problem with the virgin birth. If you answer no, you’ll have no reason to believe it. Is he just a prophet, or is he “more than a prophet?” Is he a great teacher and nothing more? Was he a martyr who died for his cause? Was he a revolutionary who never intended to start a religion? Is he a divine leader who came to teach us about God? Or is he God incarnate, the Lord of Glory, the Son of God, and our Lord and our Savior?

The virgin birth forces us off the fence about Jesus. It tells us that we can’t be neutral and we can’t say that the story of his birth doesn’t matter. The fact that this is a miracle and a mystery doesn’t let us off the hook. Those with an anti-supernatural bias will have no use for the virgin birth, and they will explain it away. But those who believe in a supernatural Christ will find the virgin birth a mysterious miracle that, instead of destroying their faith, actually makes it stronger.

Three conditions must be met in order for Jesus to be our Savior. He must be a man, he must be God, and he must be sinless. The virgin birth guarantees that all those conditions have been met. Thus there is a direct connection between the manger and the cross. Without his miraculous birth, his sufferings on the cross have no meaning. It is his birth that makes his death meaningful.

If he is not who he said he was, then his death was the most tragic mistake in history. His birth establishes his true identity as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and our Savior. Note that when the angel told Joseph that the baby Mary was carrying had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, in the very next sentence he told Joseph to name him Jesus “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The angel connects his birth with his saving work on the cross. Thus the virgin birth matters greatly because it tells us plainly who Jesus is and lays the foundation for the great work he will accomplish on the cross.

He had to be born this way in order to die the way he died.

We are not saved by the virgin birth, but without it we are not saved at all.

Almighty God, may we not stumble in unbelief but believe in your Son, our Savior, born of a virgin, who died for our salvation, was raised triumphant, ascended into heaven, and is our coming king. Amen.

December 23

Wonder

“All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:18).

Some translations use wondered.

Others say amazed.

Others use the word marveled.

The story itself sounds incredible, especially the part about hearing the angels in the middle of the night, not to mention finding the Son of God in a feeding trough. It’s even more surprising that God chose lowly shepherds as the first evangelists.

Amazement comes in two varieties. The first has to do with temporary fascination over an unusual turn of events. It’s what happens when a five-touchdown underdog manages to win a football game. Terrible teams occasionally get lucky and beat much better teams. It’s unusual but not miraculous.

The second kind of amazement we could call “Holy Wonder.” It’s a kind of awe that comes from seeing God at work in the world. In the deepest sense all the acts of God are grounds for holy wonder since everything he does has the stamp of the divine on it. Go all the way back to Genesis and you discover that God created the entire universe out of nothing. He spoke and the stars flew into place. He spoke and the earth took up its orbit. He spoke and the squirrels began to scamper through the forest.

God speaks and it happens. He takes a lump of dirt and makes a man. Then he takes a rib and makes a woman. To read Genesis 1-2 is to encounter something that is truly wonderful, that is, full of wonders on every hand.

The wonders continue to the very end of the Bible. Revelation 19 tells us that when Christ returns, he will have written on his robe and on his thigh, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). From that text Handel wrote his magnificent “Hallelujah Chorus.” When Christ returns he will establish his kingdom on the earth and all earthly kings will bow before him.

Christmas is indeed a cause for holy wonder. How can it be that God should become a man? How can a King be born in a feeding trough? How could the world ignore his coming? And what sort of God comes into the world like this?

We ought to be amazed at Christmastime. If we manage to go through this Christmas season without ever pausing to think about the wonder of it all, then we have missed the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Lord, we long to be transformed by the wonder of your coming. Free us from our addiction to the mundane. Give us the faith of a child so that we can laugh with joy once again. Amen.

December 24

X

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

There aren’t many words that start with X.

I checked the dictionary, found a few, and couldn’t pronounce most of them because they are words we rarely use.

Then it hit me.

The letter X is actually an ancient symbol for Christ because it stands for the first letter in the Greek word for Christ:

Χριστός (pronounced “chris-tos”).

R. C. Sproul explains it this way:

Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X. That X has come through church history to be a shorthand symbol for the name of Christ.

Luke 2:11 uses three words to describe him: Savior . . . Christ . . . Lord. Each word is vitally important. Savior is actually an Old Testament word that means “one who delivers his people.” Christ is the Greek version of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means “the anointed One.” Lord is a term for Deity. It’s a synonym for God.

I received a letter from a prisoner in Wisconsin who had read An Anchor for the Soul. The oldest of five children, he came from a single-parent family. He joined a gang and dropped out of school in the ninth grade. At the age of 17, he was arrested, tried and convicted of first-degree murder. Sentenced to life in prison, he had been behind bars for 19 years when he wrote me. This is his comment: “Dr. Pritchard, many had given up on me, but God never did! I was told that I would never amount to anything but God says otherwise. I was told that I would find death in prison but instead I found eternal life.” How does he feel about his 19 years behind bars?

I have been so overwhelmed by the grace and mercy of Christ—I’ve been given a wonderful peace that surpasses all understanding. I am absolutely convinced that had I not come to prison, my life would have been completely devastated beyond repair. It’s now been 19 years of incarceration and these years have been the most refreshing and enlightening years of my life—I am truly blessed beyond words.

Only the grace of God can enable a man to talk like that. He even wants to write a book about his life story called Saved by the Cell. That’s why Christ came—to be a Savior for everyone who will turn to him.

He is the Savior, he is the Lord, and he is the Christ—the one sent from God. This is the heart of Christmas. God loved us enough to send his only begotten Son.

Remember this. The X stands for Christ who is our Savior and Lord. And that’s what Christmas is all about.

We call you Lord because that is what you are. We call you Savior because you came to save us from our sins. We call you Christ because all God’s promises are fulfilled in you. Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever! Amen.

December 25

You

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

“Unto you.”

Pause for a moment and consider who was speaking and who was being addressed. When the shepherds heard these words from the angel, they must have been flabbergasted. Shepherds were near the bottom of the social order of ancient Israel. They were often poor and uneducated and some were quite young. Not very many people would put “shepherd” on their Career Preference Form. There were many easier ways to make a living in ancient Israel. So when the angel says, “To you is born,” he’s really saying, “Christ came for lowly shepherds.” But what about those theologians in Jerusalem who knew but didn’t care? He came for them too, but they missed it altogether.

When Christ came, his birth was first announced to the outcasts of society. They were the first ones to hear the good news of Christmas. There is a great lesson in this for all of us. Our Lord came for the forgotten people of the earth and most of the time they are the ones who receive him with the greatest joy. Rich people often have no time for Christ, but the poor welcome him as an honored guest.

A man traveled a great distance for an interview with a distinguished scholar. He was ushered into the man’s study, where he said, “Doctor, I notice that the walls of your study are lined with books from the ceiling to the floor. No doubt you have read them all. I know you have written many yourself. You have traveled extensively, and doubtless you’ve had the privilege of conversing with some of the world’s wisest men. I’ve come a long way to ask you just one question. Tell me, of all you’ve learned, what is the one thing most worth knowing?” Putting his hand on his guest’s shoulder, the scholar replied with emotion in his voice, “My dear sir, of all the things I have learned, only two are really worth knowing. The first is, I am a great sinner, and the second is, Jesus Christ is a great Savior!”

If you know those two things personally, you know the best news in the whole world, that a Savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord.

Two thousand years ago God sent a gift wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Jesus is God’s Christmas gift to you.

Merry Christmas!

The happy day is here at last.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Lord of all, we come before you, celebrating this happy day when Eternity entered time, and the Infinite became finite. You who were rich became poor that we through your poverty might be rich. Give us ears to hear the glad tidings and voices to sing with exuberant praise that at long last our Redeemer has come! Amen.

December 26

Zion

“O Zion, you who bring good tidings . . . Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’” (Isaiah 40:9 NKJV).

When Handel composed his famous oratorio The Messiah, he included a piece based on this verse (“Oh thou that tellest good tidings to Zion”) combined with Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” In the order of songs, it comes right after the prediction of the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive.” It was Handel’s way of saying, “This is how we should respond to Christ’s birth.”

Go and tell.

Share the good news.

Arise and let your light shine.

These are good words for today because Christmas eventually ends for all of us. Soon enough we will take down the tree, pack away the ornaments, and either use our gifts or take them back to the store to be exchanged. In a few days the children go back to school and life returns to normal.

But will we be changed by Christmas?

People sometimes wish they could keep the Christmas spirit all year long. They speak of it as if the “magic” of these days comes only once a year. But it depends on what “magic” you are talking about. If you mean the tree and the gifts and the mistletoe and the chestnuts roasting by the fire, that indeed comes only once a year. But the greater truth of Christmas ought to warm our hearts long after the holiday has ended.

Would you like Christmas to last all year long? It can if you will take Isaiah’s words to heart. Go back to where you came from.

Back to your office.

Back to your classroom.

Back to your factory.

Back to your neighborhood.

Back to your job.

Back to your family duties.

Go back to the humdrum of daily routine. But do not go back unchanged. Arise and let your light shine. When the shepherds saw Jesus, they couldn’t stop talking about it. Christmas didn’t change their circumstances, but it changed them deeply and profoundly. Because it changed them, it changed the way they approached their daily work. Yes, they still had to deal with cranky sheep and sometimes they had to step in sheep manure, but that hardly mattered now. They had seen the Christ child.

Have you seen Jesus this year at Christmastime? If you have, then go back to what you were doing before and take the memory of Christmas with you. Start where you are and God will be with you.

With that thought our Christmas Alphabet comes to an end. But if you go and tell the good news of Jesus, you will have Christmas all year long.

We close these Advent devotions with a traditional Christmas benediction:

May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the Magi, and the peace of the Christ child.

Almighty God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—bless you now and forever. Amen.