The Prophecy Fulfilled

Matthew 1:18-23

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Merry Christmas!

From the cradle to the cross:

What the Child has done for those who receive His pardon…

The Prophecy Foretold

Isaiah 9:6-7

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

The Reason for the Season - O Holy Night

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

This is one of those Christmas carols that helps bring the true reason for the season into focus. The reason there even needed to be a Savior.

Each one of us knows that moral crimes should be punished. We also know that we have committed moral crimes. And therefore, we know we should be punished for the moral crimes we have committed.

We long to sin, to commit these moral crimes. It is in our natures separated from the One who created us.

Yet, in an act of mercy and love, God created a way for us to escape His judgement. He offers us a pardon for the moral crimes we have committed and long to commit. So God became a man himself and took the punishment on himself.

That's why Jesus is important. He offers the way out of the judgement that is rightly ours.

The pardon, however, is only valid for those who accept it. Those who bow their knee and accept Jesus (the babe born of lowly status and laid in a manger) as their Savior.

Christmas is a time of wishing, of excitement, of love, of peace, of cheer, of good tidings, and of hope. Yet we don't really stop to think of why we need these things:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

But then comes the good news of great joy:

Till He appears and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

In response, we should:

Fall on our knees, O hear the angel voices,
O night divine, O night when Christ was born,
O night divine, O night when Christ was born.

May your Christmas be one of falling on your knees and rejoicing in the thrill of hope brought forth by our dear Savior's birth over 2000 years ago.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!