“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought peace, and with His wounds, we were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned- everyone- to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of all of us. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that was led to slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” Isaiah 53:4-7
Moments after sin entered the world, God gave humanity a promise. He gave them a promise of a blessing, someone who would save humanity from their sins and heal their brokenness.
For a long time, no one knew the identity of this someone, or how He was going to save everyone. But God kept promising humanity that He WOULD come.
And even after all the times, they kept messing up like crazy, God was working a plan for redemption. Behind the scenes, He was creating a way for the world to restore their relationship with Him.
He was preparing the people through prophets like Isaiah and Micah.
God spoke through them about who this mysterious Savior would be. He revealed that He would be born in Bethlehem and that He would be afflicted because of what we’ve done.
God said that a virgin would bear a child, and His name would be Emmanuel.
I’m sure people scoffed. I’m sure many believed, but later they lost hope that all of this would really come to pass. It had been promised for years but no one had come yet.
But one calm night, one Holy night, while shepherds were tending to their flocks, angels appeared and said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.”
The shepherds did find Him, but they didn’t find a mighty, strong Savior. They found baby Jesus, meek and helpless, laying in a manger, and His mother- a virgin.
After all of this waiting, the Savior of the world was here. The Light of the world had come as a baby in a manger.
HOPE was here, and He grew up to die on a cross for every single person that would receive Him. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, had made His entry into the world, He had bowed down to live a perfect life, so that He may later offer His life to others.
The waiting is over, and now all we must do is accept this precious gift of eternal life, this gift of light and of hope.
The Light of the world came to bring light to our lives, but He didn’t intend for us to keep it.
This gift we’ve been given is meant for the whole world as an act of love from God. It was never meant to be hidden or hoarded.
As the flame of a candle is meant to be passed on from one to the next, so is Jesus’ love. And once it’s been spread, it can light up any room, and it cannot be controlled or contained.
It is the most beautiful, powerful, and sacrificial love ever known, and it’s been given to us. It’s a hope meant to be passed on and told about, not kept closed.
So this Christmas as you celebrate the birth of the Savior, don’t let the reason become a mystery to some or the light be forgotten. Share it and tell the story of the humble King Who came to save.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!! I PRAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED & JOYFUL CHRISTMAS!♥️🎄