Good Tidings of Great Joy

"Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life." - Corrie Ten Boom

Until the coming of Christ, only a privileged few were given brief, fleeting glimpses of the hidden truth to come. Those limited numbers of individuals, or nations, received Divine wisdom, or instructions, through commandments by the Divine Spirit and were expected to abide by them (Isaiah 9:6).

Yet, for all of this, they knew very little of God; or life beyond the present one. This would all change with the birth of Christianity. Before Christ's arrival, only dim, shadowy, silhouettes of his glory could be discerned. Afterwards, it was as if a bright, light had been turned on in a dark room.

People now could make the connection as to what they must had been feeling, but hadn't been visible to them before. And amidst all the sights that were now exposed; stood the most preeminent of all; God. The hereafter was no longer a cold, empty void. Christianity disclosed that God is our Father (Galatians 4:4,5).

These were the good tidings that the angel announced in Luke 2:10. The news of the birth of Christ abundantly revealed some important aspects of the relationship between God and ourselves. Even the Old Testament prophets were not fully enlightened to the finer details of the "good tidings" or "glad news."

Prior to the arrival of Jesus, we had no inkling as to the nobility, or greatness of our kind. This was not evident until God presented himself to us in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). We had no idea of the potential our flesh possessed. It wasn't it until the fullness of God was displayed before our eyes, in a body like our own, that we were able to detect the Divine connection that we shared with Him (John 1:14).

Another imparted feature was that it made known the fact that God is in us. The angelic proclamation (Luke 2:10) is substantiated by our experience, and confirmed by our understanding that the birth of Christianity was undeniably "glad news."

This singular event brought God out of the furthest, darkest recesses of our comprehension, to the front and center of our existence. He became more approachable, closer, attainable. He became someone who shares our burdens, comforts us in sorrow, and is there for us whenever we need Him; to save us (Philippians 2:5-7).

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us not forget that He is much more than simply decorations, trees, and shiny, new gifts. The nativity of our Savior united us with the God in Heaven (Nehemiah 1:5). No longer are we left clueless as to our purpose here on earth. Turn to Him and offer your praise and thankfulness every day of your life (Psalm 118:1).

Scripture: John 14:6; Ezekiel 37:27; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:2; John 1:17

Prayer: Gracious God, I pray that You will instill in me a profound sense of your abiding presence, and help me take to heart the wonder of your love, that I may walk in your ways and delight in your will. Amen

Wishing you all a most blessed Christmas!

Meredith