BY Argie Simonis
Christmas is getting closer! Days of joy and celebration for many. Gifts under the tree, lights and decorations at home, Christmas cards, turkey and other traditional foods, family and friends gather at home, snow in the yard (sometimes), and wishes for a Merry Christmas are heard everywhere.
All this is nice and it is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate and enjoy these days. But is this the real meaning of Christmas?
It is good to remember that for some people it is a time of sorrow. Maybe because they do not have the extra money to buy gifts for their children, family or friends. Many people get sad at Christmas when they think that their loved ones, for various reasons, can not be with them. Rich tables and turkeys may seem like an elusive dream to some.
Nevertheless, Christmas is a time of great joy, because God shows us His infinite love. It is a time of healing and renewed strength.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of our Jesus. God sent His Son into the world to be born humbly in a manger. It is this fact that has brought so much joy to the world. The shepherds, the wise men and the whole army of angels who took part in this celebration knew that this was no ordinary baby. There have been prophecies about the birth of Jesus hundreds of years before.
More than 300 prophecies were fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Many of them at His birth. Professor Peter W. Stoner was Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College and Chairman of the science division at Westmont College. In his book, Science Speaks, Professor Stoner outlines the mathematical probability of one person in the first century fulfilling just eight of the most clear and straightforward Messianic prophecies. In his book he quotes:
"We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000)!!!."
How amazing is that! And of course, if we consider all 300+ prophecies the number gets more astronomical.
Here are some of them:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Micah 5:2
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14
Reading the story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2:4-19, we may wonder:
So why did Jesus come?
The peace that the heavenly host sang for was not peace between men, but peace between God and men.
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34
The angels rejoiced that the war between God and man was over. We celebrate the Savior, because we needed salvation:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Rom. 3:23
No matter what happens around us, we can really have joy. Let's look at Christmas in a different way this year. It is time to invite the Lord into your heart, and the peace He will give you will last for the whole new year, as you trust Him to provide for your every need!
Amen?
Amen 🙌🏻🙏🏻🙌🏻
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