Your nose is woken up gently with the smell of a freshly baked turkey. As you open your eyes and wiggle your toes, you feel the cold air enter your bed made of cotton and woven wool. As you brave the cold bedroom and reach for your sweater, you hear the faint tune of White Christmas playing on the television upstairs.
Outside, no cars drive by, snow falls softly on the lawn as the Christmas lights shimmer and sparkle. The warm lighting emanates from the living room window as a family gathers in front of the tree.
You, reader, may read this as a romanticization of Christmas and gift giving. I’ve realized that, yes, opening gifts is extremely fun. However, it was the build up throughout the year that made Christmas morning a day of absolute peace and love. The idea of waking up in my bed, trudging the cold and seeing my grandmother cooking in that kitchen is something I hold very close to my heart.
Having the ability to sit down, receive a gift and rest on Christmas Day is an absolute blessing. If you wonder why I love this holiday so much, it’s because our Creator always feels closer during this season.
Whether you give or receive during Christmas, you know that love was involved. For givers, the desire to express your love to someone. For receivers, the emotions that come with receiving a gift from someone who was listening.
As believers, you’ve likely heard Jesus’ birth be referred to as the “greatest gift of them all.” Sometimes we can overlook how great a gift Jesus’ birth really was; What an enormous act of love was performed for us.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
(Luke 2:11 ESV)
This is someone whose existence has been prophesied for years within the books of Isaiah, Micah, and even all the way in Genesis. It’s the fulfillment of a gift that has been hinted at for millennia.
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.”
(Isaiah 42:1-4 ESV)
A justice to the nations, a savior, a person who will finally change things for the better. If you’ve been living life wondering if the prophecies would ever be fulfilled, hearing the news of a birth within Bethlehem would definitely foster some renewed hope; a warmth in your heart that you weren’t forgotten about. While it took some time, you know that the person who prepared the gift must have put a lot of effort into it.
Leave a Reply