Merry Christmas! The big day is finally here! And so today, we wrap up our focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We’ve meditated on each of these names as we count up to today, Christmas.

Today, we light the Christ Candle.

Hundreds, even thousands, of years, humanity waited for the Promised One who would reverse the curse of sin, crush the head of Satan, bless all the nations of the earth, be the righteous ruler of the world, and save all His people from their sins. And that wait was over on that first Christmas day when the very pregnant Mary finally gave birth to her son Jesus in the city of Bethlehem. They had traveled from the city of Nazareth to Bethlehem as part of a Roman census. And because there were so many out of towners there at that time, there was no guest room for them. So, she gave birth to Jesus in a cattle stall, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger.

This birth was no normal birth in the sense that Mary was a virgin. And this baby was no normal baby. He was the Son of God, truly God and truly man.

An angel had told Mary, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

Beloved, this baby is hope. He is peace. He is joy. He is love. He is Christ.

As the angel choir sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Merry Christmas!

Change begins in you!