Friday
Reading: Luke 2:1-21
SOAP: Luke 2:10-11
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.”
There are some pretty creative ways people announce the birth of their babies, but nothing tops the announcement of the birth of Jesus. An angel appeared to a few shepherds to tell them Salvation had been born. The Son of God is here!
Then a huge choir of angels bursts into song, praising God. That is an amazing, one of a kind, birth announcement. The longtime of waiting had come to an end. All the promises God made about someone coming who would restore humanity, who would set things right, who would redeem brokenness, had been fulfilled. This Advent is over. Jesus is here.
It is easy to get so used to the story of the birth of Jesus that it no longer moves us. If we look at how God worked meticulously from the time of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, though Abraham, Moses, Noah, Isaiah, and many others to bring us to that little stable in Bethlehem, where a young, ordinary couple welcomed the Son of God into their arms, maybe it will help move us to praise and thanksgiving.
We are saved because God made and kept promises. We can have hope because this baby would grow up, live a perfect life, be betrayed, and die a horrible death for us. But the story doesn’t end there. The first Advent is over but we now find ourselves in a second Advent where we await the second coming of Jesus. Once again, God made promises to His people, and we can be sure He will keep them.
Lord, the Christmas season can be a lovely and exciting time for us as well as a hard and sad time. Help us to have the right perspective by focusing on why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. It is a celebration of all the promises You have made and kept by preparing the world for the coming of the Messiah. Give us hope now, as we wait for Jesus to return. Come quickly, Lord. Come quickly.