The sun had set, and the shepherds were gathered around a small fire keeping warm in the darkness and coolness of night. Their sheep resting close by. It seemed like an ordinary night, but suddenly it became extraordinary. The darkness was pierced by the light of an angel, and the shepherds were terrified. Who can blame them? The darkness of night interrupted by the brilliance of an angel is enough to make the hair on anyone’s neck stand on edge.

“But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said, ‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. The Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you will recognize him by this sign: you will find a baby, wrapped in strips of cloth lying in a manger.’ Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast host of others, the armies of Heaven, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest Heaven and peace on earth with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:10-14).

Good news of great joy is what the shepherds needed. We all need good news of great joy, especially in the darkness of this era. Everywhere we turn we find negative headlines, but Christmas is a reminder there is good news, joyous news that is for everyone. This good news is Jesus. He is our way to peace with God.

The Bible says, “Do not let your hearts be trouble, but present your requests and petitions to God in prayer. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Because of Christmas, we can take the anxieties of this world and hand them over to the Lord. We can rest in the peace he offers.

The shepherds were the first to receive good news of great joy, but it is also for you and me. Allow the light of the Lord to pierce the darkness around you and bring you peace this Christmas season.

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A promise was made for many years. The promise was made through such people as Nathan, Isaiah, and David. God himself made the promise in the Garden of Eden, and when its fulfillment was close, the angel Gabriel was given the task of announcing its arrival. The promise is a Savior. Someone to help us in our time of need. We can celebrate because the long-awaited promise was delivered on Christmas.

The writer of Hebrews says, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways through our ancestors the prophets, and now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son, he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in Heaven” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Jesus is the one for whom many generations waited. He is the one they knew would be coming, and for us, we can say he has come. Jesus is God with us to save us. In his coming, Jesus brings life, help, peace, forgiveness, and hope to us.

Life

• “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full,” Jesus says in John 10:10.
• Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Because God’s children are human beings, made of flesh and blood, the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”

Help

• Hebrews 2:16 says, “We also know that the Son did not come to help angels. He came to help the descendants of Abraham.”
• Hebrews 2:18 says, “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing he is able to help us when we are being tested.”

Peace

• Philippians 4 encourages us to allow the peace of God, which goes beyond our understanding, to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Forgiveness

• Hebrews 2:17-18 says, “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
• 2 Corinthians 5 reminds us that God made him with no sin to be our sin so that we could be made new in him.

Hope

• Jesus reminds us in John 14 he is going to prepare a place for us. When it is ready, he will come back to take us with him.
• 2 Corinthians 4 says our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that will far outweigh them all.

The long-awaited promise has been fulfilled. God gave us Jesus for Christmas. Take a moment to thank God for his gift today. Take a moment to thank him for his goodness.

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Obviously, Mary has a prominent role in the Christmas story, and standing beside her in every manger scene is another hero. Joseph may have a more behind the scenes role, but he is a hero nonetheless. Matthew’s Gospel unfolds Jesus’ birth from Joseph’s perspective.

“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph” (Matthew 1:18). Everything is going well for Joseph. He has met the love of his life, and they are engaged. They are planning their future together, but there is a sudden change in plans.

Matthew 1:18 continues, “…But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.” This was not exactly the future Joseph had planned, and at first, he didn’t fully understand the situation. So, “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly” (Matthew 1:19). This is a deep look into Joseph’s character.

Social standards of the day gave Joseph every right to blast Mary. Society said the more public humiliation Joseph could have poured on Mary the better, but he doesn’t want to respond in that way. He is unsure of how to move forward, but he knows revenge is not the road he is going to take.

As Joseph develops his future plan, he allows his faith to guide him. Matthew 1:20-21 continues, “…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

“When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25).

Because of his faith, Joseph listened to the Lord. He didn’t allow the sudden change in course to derail his life plan with Mary. Through every step of the pregnancy, birth, and years to follow, Joseph was right beside Mary. People may have criticized him for the decision to stay, but Joseph didn’t mind. He knew the Lord was working in their lives, and Joseph was happy to walk beside Mary on life’s journey.

In many ways, Joseph is an unsung hero of the Christmas story. He doesn’t hold great attention in the narrative, but he’s a hero nonetheless. He gave much and helped greatly.

Without Joseph, Christmas wouldn’t be the same.

As we celebrate Christmas, I hope the unsung heroes of today find encouragement in Joseph. Our families and our communities would not be the same without you.

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Imagine for a moment you are on your way home from work. You work the evening shift, so it is close to midnight as you’re cruising down the interstate about 30 minutes from home. Traffic is light, so you are enjoying the drive and thinking about how good crawling under the covers is going to feel. Suddenly, your car makes a weird noise, you see white smoke coming out of the exhaust, and your engine stops running. It’s 12:15 a.m. Who are you going to call?

Would you call someone close to you? I would. It seems when we are in need, we rely on those who are the closest to us. We know when they hear we are broken down along the interstate, their response will be “I’m on my way.” This person comes not out of duty, but out of friendship. We may call our spouse or family member, but the person comes because of our friendship.

True friends are the ones who come in the middle of the night. They are the people who respond in times of need. True friends are the ones who will come no matter the situation.

Scripture says we are friends with God, so how close will he come?

He Came Close

It was a calm and peaceful day. Some 65 miles from Jerusalem, in the region of Galilee, a young lady was excited about her engagement and upcoming wedding. As she went about her day, she was visited by the angel Gabriel.

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be, but the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid. Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and called the son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever. His kingdom will never end,” records Luke 1:28-34.

He came close to Mary. “The virgin birth is more, much more, than a Christmas story. It is a picture of how close Christ will come to you. The first stop on his itinerary was a womb. Where will God go to touch the world? Look deep within Mary for an answer,” writes Max Lucado.

He Comes Close

“Better still,” Lucado continues, “look deep within yourself. What he did with Mary, he offers to us.” He offers an invitation to come close. He offers an invitation to move into our lives.

Jesus is that friend who comes when we are broken down on life’s interstate. He doesn’t mind if we are in a rough part of life or there’s a mess to clean up. You see, Jesus offers an invitation to call him anytime. Don’t be afraid to call. Jesus is that friend who responds, “I’m on my way.” He comes close.

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It was an exciting day. Eight-day-old Jesus has been brought to the temple for his circumcision to fulfill the law, and much has occurred. Simeon and Anna have been waiting for this day, and Simeon has spoken about the comfort and peace Jesus brings. Now, it is Anna’s turn.

As Mary and Joseph are still pondering Simeon’s words, Anna comes along. Luke 2:38 says, “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” While Simeon sees comfort and peace in Jesus, Anna sees forgiveness.

The idea of redemption for Anna pointed to the captivity of the Old Testament. Especially to the Egyptian bondage and Israel’s redemption through the Passover. Ultimately, Passover points ahead to Christ redeeming Christians from the slavery of sin. When Anna saw Jesus she gave thanks to God, and spoke to anyone who would listen about his redemption. Here, at last, was the one who would save his people from their sins. Here, through Jesus, was forgiveness.

Perhaps 2023 has been the year of mistakes. You beat yourself up daily because past mistakes constantly fly up in your face. Jesus offers forgiveness and freedom from those mistakes. Forgiveness came on the first Christmas. “Today in the town of David,” the angel reported to the shepherds, “a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Take time today to allow and reflect on the forgiveness offered through Christ.

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