The Peace and Promise of Christmas

THE PEACE & PROMISE OF

Christmas 10 Christmas Reflections from

"The people walking in darkness have seen a

great light on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."

ISAIAH 9:2

COVER DESIGN

Aubree Berg

EDITORIAL TEAM

Anne Cetas, Tom Felten, Tim Gustafson, Alyson Kieda, Becky Knapp, Monica LaRose, Julie Schwab, and Peggy Willison ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Adapted from the book Before Christmas: The Story of Jesus from the Beginning of Time to the Manger, by Bill Crowder, Copyright © 2019, Our Daily Bread Publishing.

Scripture taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 2021 Our Daily Bread Ministries® • All rights reserved.

Printed in Europe.

INTRODUCTION

The

CHRISTMAS BACKSTORY

I

t seems to me that we enter the Christmas story too late. We celebrate Jesus’ arrival on earth, but we forget He had to leave where He was so that He could come to where we are. We’re so thrilled by the Baby in the manger, the angels, the shepherds and the wise men that we don’t pause to remember that Baby’s humble beginnings.

Stop for a moment to think about it. The eternal Son of God left His Father’s presence, which He had known and enjoyed since before time began, in order to become that Baby in that manger.

This should take our breath away! Contrast the glory Jesus left with the darkness He stepped into. Ponder the perfect relationship He enjoyed in the Father’s

INTRODUCTION presence that He exchanged in order to embrace the brokenness we’ve inflicted upon His creation. Consider the privilege and position He set aside so He could come to serve His creatures, when in reality He deserved to be served by us.

By unveiling This is the backstory of the Jesus’ true Christmas story. While the Bible identity, we learn doesn’t give us volumes of the eternal value insight behind the scenes of of the coming of Christmas, neither is it silent.

Christ to earth.

We can read enough to marvel at the sacrifices Christ made to come to earth. And He did it all so that He could become our sacrificial Lamb—the One who rescued us from death and brought us His peace.

This is why what led up to the Christmas story is so important. By unveiling Jesus’ true identity, we learn the eternal value of the coming of Christ to earth.

I invite you to join me in exploring the backstory of the BILL CROWDER peace and promise of Christmas.

10

REFLECTIONS FROM

The following reflections are designed to help you experience the peace that Christ can bring to your life.

We pray that you find true joy in Him this Christmas season.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 4 But

| G A L AT I A N S 4:4–7

when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

o G A L AT I A N S 4:4–5 When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.

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BEFORE AND AFTER

M

y wife Marlene and I enjoy watching home improvement programmes. We love learning from the experts as they transform a tired living space into something new and remarkable. But there’s a catch to all that learning: we have to understand the before of that old house before we can appreciate what leads to the after.

In infinitely more important ways, this reality applies to the Christmas story. When we tell the story, we tend to start ‘too late’. We celebrate the arrival of the baby Jesus—which is wonderful—but we forget He had to leave His home to come to ours.

We don’t reflect in wonder on the before—what He gave up. The eternal Son of God left the Father’s presence in order to become that helpless baby.

In Galatians 4:4–5 we read, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.” The key word here is sent. Jesus was sent here from somewhere else—a somewhere in which He’d lived for all eternity past. That He would leave that place and come to this place is one measure of how deeply we’re loved. And that’s the love we celebrate as we remember the birth of the eternal One in human form.

What do you picture when you think of what Jesus gave up to come to our planet? Why do you think He did it?

Jesus, we can’t thank You enough for choosing to visit Your creatures in the form of a human baby. Help us never to forget the scope of Your love for us.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

| P H I L I P PI A N S 2:3–11

3 Do

nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In

your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

o 1 J O H N 4:14 The Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

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WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

P

erhaps you recall the words of this classic Christmas carol expressing wonder at the birth of Jesus: Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown, When Thou camest to earth for me; But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room For Thy holy nativity.

These timeworn lyrics retain their power down through the years. The truth that Jesus had to leave something else in order to come here is what the apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 2: “Christ Jesus . . . Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage” (VV. 5–6). The hymn’s theme of leaving and arriving echoes the opening of John’s gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (JOHN 1:1–2).

This is the measure of how fully we’ve been loved: not only was the Son willing to come to save us from ourselves and our sin, the Father was willing to send Him to accomplish that eternal purpose.

What more could ever be said about the wonder of divine love than this: “The Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 JOHN 4:14).

Christmas has been called “the season of love.” It’s true—and it’s Jesus’ great love that we celebrate.

What stands out to you about Christ’s humble beginnings? How might this influence your Christmas observances this year?

Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent Your Son into this world—for us!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

| J O H N 13:1–11

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

1

o M A R K 10:45 The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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THE HEART OF A SERVANT

F

rom time to time, King James V of Scotland (1512–1542) would set aside his royal robes to dress in the clothes of a commoner. Why would he do such a thing? So he could wander freely among the people. He wanted to understand life outside the castle and to live that life for a brief time among his subjects. This was an intentional act of humility as the king stepped into a world very different from the one his status merited.

But Jesus did much more. Although He was the very essence of God, Jesus came into this world and took on the very essence of a servant. Paul wrote that Christ “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (PHILIPPIANS 2:7).

As He ate the Passover meal with His disciples the night before His trial and crucifixion, Jesus vividly demonstrated this for us. His disciple John tells us that Jesus “got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist” (JOHN 13:4).

Then He washed the dirty feet of His disciples.

This humble act validates Christ’s own assessment of His mission: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (MARK 10:45). So why are we surprised that He would take a basin and towel to wash His disciples’ feet? Jesus showed us the heart of the King who serves.

How do you react to Jesus’ startling example of serving others in even the most menial tasks? How can you serve someone today?

Loving Saviour, we’re humbled by Your humble example of service. Help us to show more of that in our lives today.

“I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).”

Matthew 1:23

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

| J O H N 17:1–8

1 After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

o J O H N 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

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GLORY

T

he movie Glory is set during the American Civil War. The film was based on historical accounts and made for brilliant storytelling! But in the end, almost all the key characters died.

Glory in death by combat?

In sports we sometimes see an athlete attempt the seemingly impossible—for example, an unbelievable catch by an outfielder with his arm reaching over the wall. It’s called “going for the glory.”

Glory by fame and acclaim?

On His way to the garden of Gethsemane the night before the cross, Jesus prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (JOHN 17:4–5). What was He praying for? The word Jesus would have used for glory is kabod, which essentially means “gravitas.” This gravitas describes a person who embodies “wisdom, balance, stability, patience, impartiality, nobility.” Put another way, a kabod person possesses substance in the best and most important ways.

Now, ponder this: the most significant, substantial and glorious Person in all eternity was willing to put aside all of that gravitas— that glory—to come to our rescue. And now, having completed that work, He has had that glory fully restored.

Glory by His obedience to the perfect will and plan of His Father.

How do you define glory? In what ways can you see how Jesus embodied a thorough definition of glory?

Father, it’s in our nature to seek glory for ourselves, but that’s a distorted view of what glory is and what it’s for. Forgive us, and help us to give You the glory due Your name.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 20 “My

| J O H N 17:20–26

prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

o J O H N 17:26 I have made you known to them.

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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

I

n the Mission: Impossible film series, agent Ethan Hunt is always given a seemingly insurmountable task. The challenge is presented with this stark option: “Your mission, should you choose to accept it . . . .” Of course the fate of millions is at usually stake, and the resulting drama keeps us glued to our seats.

Jesus embarked on a mission where the fate of the world really was at stake. He had shared this mission with His Father from eternity past. Just prior to the ordeal that took Him to the cross, Jesus prayed, “I have made you [God the Father] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (JOHN 17:26).

The shared mission of the Father and the Son was to forgive, restore and make whole the human race. We, the beings created in the very image of God, rebelled against His good purposes and lost the glory of His presence. Jesus came that we might once again know and experience the love of God who is love.

This was not an empty gesture, nor were these empty words. In the moment that Jesus prayed about the mission He shared with His Father, He was making His way to the cross to fulfil that mission.

And in His death and resurrection, we can rejoice. Mission accomplished!

Why do you think God wanted to rescue and restore His creation?

As you consider Jesus’ acceptance of this ‘impossible mission’, how do you react to the scope of His love for us?

Father God, we can never comprehend the dimensions of Your great love for us, but this Christmas season help us to appreciate it more than we ever have before.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.

Matthew 11:28

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 14 Then

| AC T S 2:14–28

Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose.

It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.

28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’”

o AC T S 2:24 God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

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OUR POWERFUL DESTINY

I

n Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, two “star-crossed” (negatively destined) lovers from rival families are drawn irresistibly to one another. But events conspire against them, first to inspire their love, and then to coerce their decision to take their lives rather than endure their families’ hatred for each other.

In the closing scene, Prince Escalus mourns the loss of these two young people and the feud that drove them to an unwanted end. “See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,” he says to the two families. A tragic destiny.

What is destiny? It’s the sense that something is inevitable because it has somehow been predetermined.

No one has ever walked this earth with a more precisely defined destiny than Jesus Himself. On the Jewish feast day of Pentecost, only a few short weeks following the resurrection of Jesus and mere days after His return to His heavenly Father, Peter spoke these words about Him: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (ACTS 2:23).

It’s this clearly defined destiny—“God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge”—that made it possible for our destiny to be transformed to a life worth living now and an eternity to be spent in His presence. A joyous destiny defined by love!

When you consider that God has included you in His eternal plan, how do you want to respond to Him? How does this knowledge help shape your focus in life?

Father, I am amazed that You consider me and have plans for my life. Thank You for defining me by Your love.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 29 “Fellow

| AC T S 2:29–35

Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.

32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.”’

o AC T S 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

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THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

W

hen I was a boy, I saw the film The Greatest Story Ever Told—a cinematic retelling of the life of Christ. The movie boasted an all-star cast that included Charlton Heston as John the Baptist, David McCallum as Judas Iscariot, John Wayne as the centurion at the cross and Max von Sydow as Jesus. The film was both fanciful and biblical. In the end, it was one filmmaker’s attempt to convey that epic story.

Of monumental significance, the greatest story ever told ultimately includes a cross. And although we don’t often think of it this way, the disciple Peter was the first to clearly tell that story.

As He spoke to the crowd gathered on that day of Pentecost, Peter knew firsthand the miracle of new life in Jesus. He had experienced it—not simply in being changed from a fisherman into a disciple. Peter had experienced the transforming power of forgiveness of the Messiah he betrayed, yet who restored him and commissioned him to tell the greatest story ever told (SEE JOHN 21:15–19).

Ernest Hemingway wrote that every true story ends in death— but not the story of Jesus. As Peter stood before the crowd that day, he proclaimed this good news: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it” (ACTS 2:32).

This is the greatest story ever told because it results in eternal life with our Creator!

What sets the story of Jesus apart from all other stories for you?

How might you share this story with others?

As I celebrate the story of Your birth this Christmas, Jesus, help me to consider how I can share it with others. Thank You so much for making me a part of Your story!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

| J O H N 1:1–14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

o J O H N 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

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IMAGINATION

M

y friend, the late Steve Bly, was uber-creative. Steve had a special knack for writing Christian Western fiction. He could constantly spin characters and stories out of his head that were, at the same time, incredible yet fully believable.

One of Steve’s fun things to do was to write his friends into his books—and I was one of them! Steve spun a tantalising tale of lawman “Old Bill Crowder” pursuing outlaws into a canyon where he was trapped and gunned down. The ease and imagination with which Steve could create his stories out of thin air amazed me.

Good writers bring fiction ‘to life’, but they are not truly creating something from nothing. They’re using their God-given imaginations to invent their characters.

Jesus, on the other hand, took nothing and turned it into everything. In powerful words that echo the first verse in the Bible, John the disciple wrote, “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (JOHN 1:1–3).

The One who spoke the universe into being and fashioned it from His own imagination came to hang on a cross to redeem and restore His creation. This One who made us also loves us and gave Himself for us. Imagine that!

In what ways do you see God through His creation?

In what ways might you show your gratitude to Him for creating, rescuing and loving you?

Father in heaven, it boggles my mind to think of how You imagined me and brought me into existence. And You also planned the way for me to be restored to wholeness with You!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 26 In

| L U K E 1:26–38

the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

o L U K E 1:28 Greetings, you who are highly favoured!

The Lord is with you.

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IMMINENT ARRIVALS

O

ur family had gathered for lots of food and for catching up with each other. Mark, our youngest son, had arrived early with his wife, and he told his mum he wanted to pray for the meal. We found that a bit surprising, as Mark was usually quiet. We soon found out why he had made such a request.

As Mark began to pray, he choked up. First, he thanked God for his wife, Amy, and the opportunities the Lord was providing for them. Then . . . he gave thanks for the child who would be born to them in the coming months.

And that’s how Mark and Amy announced the imminent arrival of our grandchild!

Among the last events before the arrival of God’s Son on planet earth were two baby announcements. First, an angel told an aged priest that he and his equally aged wife would have a child who would become the forerunner of Messiah (SEE LUKE 1:5–23). Then a young virgin was told that she would give birth to that Messiah.

The angel Gabriel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus” (VV. 30–31).

The God of wonder brought His Son into the world with an­nounce­ments of the impossible to a couple too old and a girl too young. What amazing declarations! He was sending His Son for all.

What seems impossible to you today? How will you trust your impossibilities with the God who does miracles?

Wondrous God, so many things in life block us and tempt us to see defeat and despair. May we see these as opportunities to trust You—the God who gave us the miracle of Christmas!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 13 Now

| L U K E 24:13–27

that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognising him.

17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

19 “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

o L U K E 2:12

DAY

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

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THE STORY IN THE MANGER

M

artin Luther, the German reformer who turned the religious world upside down, was both courageous and complicated. He spoke the truth in ways that made his generation uncomfortable, yet he also spoke with great wisdom.

Luther said of the Old Testament Scriptures: “Here you find the swaddling cloths and the manger in which Christ lies, and to which the angel points the shepherds [see Luke 2:12]. Simple and lowly are these swaddling cloths, but dear is the treasure, Christ, who lies in them.”

The wonder is not simply the God-breathed Scriptures of the Old Testament—Luther’s gaze was riveted upon the Christ revealed there. As writer Sally Lloyd-Jones put it, “Every story whispers His name.”

This seemingly fresh idea was actually the subject of the first ever post-resurrection Bible study. On resurrection day, Jesus talked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (LUKE 24:27).

The Bible is such a wonder! The Old Testament provides the foundation for the good news of the Saviour who defines the New Testament. Poetry and prophecy. Law and history. They told the story of their times. All the while, those Scriptures were pointing to Jesus.

How would you rate your understanding of God’s big story, the Bible? What small changes might you put into place in order to understand it more?

God, I need Your Spirit’s wisdom and guidance, especially when it comes to loving and understanding the story of Jesus as it is revealed in the Bible. Thank You for this wonderful treasure.

A FINAL THOUGHT

The MOST

WONDERFUL TIME of the YEAR

A

nd so we arrive at Christmas—the most wonderful time of the year. But Christmas isn’t a mere celebration of an overnight occurrence or the commemoration of a sudden intervention. No, the arrival of Messiah Jesus was an eternity in the making. Jesus came to us and for us “when the set time had fully come” (GALATIANS 4:4).

What an extraordinary thing to consider! The timeless One, who for all eternity existed outside the realm of time, entered time to bring eternity to us!

This is the peace and promise of Christmas. It’s not a dot on a line; it’s the line itself! The story reaches

back into eternity past to show the plans and purposes of the Father and the Son. This story passes through time to the cross and the resurrection. And it stretches forward into eternity future.

As we’ve seen, Jesus came on a mission—a rescue mission.

Paul’s full statement explains, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (GALATIANS 4:4–5).

This rescue mission was the ultimate expression of God’s love and concern for a world that was broken and in rebellion—a world filled with people like us. It was the Father’s The arrival of ultimate expression of His longing Messiah Jesus to restore us to Himself and bring was an eternity us home. As the most famous in the making. verse in the Bible invites, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (JOHN 3:16).

How? The Easter story completes the Christmas story, for through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we’re offered meaningful life now and eternal life in the Father’s house. This is the real, true Christmas story—the story will last forever. We invite you to place your trust in Him today, for the most wonderful Christmas of all!

THE STORY 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and LUKE 2:1–20 seen, which were just as they had been told.

Embrace the majesty of the

Messiah

Available at:

ourdailybreadpublishing.org.uk/ud483

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hat does it mean to us today that Jesus left His heavenly glory more than 2,000 years ago to come to earth in the form of a humble baby?

Our Daily Bread author Bill Crowder answers this question in ten devotions he adapted from his book, Before Christmas. By exploring the events of the Christmas story recorded in the Gospels, we find Jesus not only offers us peace but also the promise of eternal life. Start reading today to discover how you can experience the peace and promise of Christmas.

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