WOW! This is a tough writing assignment! When I think of Christmas, I have to start with that first miracle of the New Testament. Christianity started with that miracle. The miracle of Jesus' birth as the Son of God and the Son of Mary is one of the most basic and important things a Christian believes.
Both the Old and New Testaments begin with miracles. The miracles of creation and of Jesus' birth are mysteries beyond our human ability to explain. It is so unique that God would come to us in the form of a little baby. He could have come as a grown man. He could have come in any form that He wanted, but He was born as a helpless little baby so He would learn to be human. He did that for us. He loves us that much! I am always in awe when I think of this.
Jesus was born at just the right time! The Romans had subdued most of the Mediterranean world. The Greeks had standardized the language. Roads and shipping were well developed. The Savior had been promised to Abram (Abraham) and to David, and the prophets had foretold his birth through hundreds of years of Jewish history.
The first visitors to the newborn Jesus were not kings or church leaders or any other people of power. They were shepherds--common men just above slaves in the society of the times. When "kings" came to visit, they were Gentile magicians who had studied the astronomy and wisdom of the East. The Wise Men coming to the Christ Child teaches us that seekers of God will find Him. Wise men still seek Him.
Although John 3:16 is one of my favorite passages, I was reminded recently of I John 3:1a: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" And that we are!
By Chuck Schad
