Merry Christmas!
I’ve spent the last month detailing how Advent celebrates Jesus’ coming and reminds us to faithfully wait for Jesus’ return. While the story of Jesus resides in the New Testament, the Old Testament is an excellent way to understand the celebration and the waiting.
The Messiah Has Come!
Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Jeremiah mixed the pain of waiting and the hope of salvation in his writing:
“Although our sins testify against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.
For we have often rebelled;
we have sinned against you.
You who are the hope of Israel,
its Savior in times of distress,
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?
You are among us, Lord,
and we bear your name;
do not forsake us!”
-Jeremiah 14:7-9
The people of Israel weren’t perfect. They sinned against God but inevitably repented and returned to God. Still, God created seasons of silence. In fact, there were 400 years of silence leading up to the birth of Jesus. Consider that—400 years, twice the time the United States has been a country. Despite God’s silence, Israel faithfully waited.
Israel waited for their Messiah.
Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, God acted; Jesus entered the world.
[Joseph] went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 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. -Luke 2:5-7
Jesus entered the world as low as one could imagine, and he died even lower—a horrible death on a criminal’s cross.
This Jesus changed the world.
Transformation: Universal and Personal
In his book Dominion, Tom Holland (the author, not the Spider-Man actor) writes about how Christianity completely reshaped Western society. In a world ruled by power, strength, and pride, Jesus’s life and teachings showed how God was closer to the weak and poor than the mighty and rich.
Jesus turned the world on its head.
The followers of Jesus (including you and me) have struggled to exemplify that truth at times, but as a whole, Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection transformed the world. They did this through education (the first universities were established in many countries as Christian institutions), healthcare (hospitals were originally founded by religious orders), welfare (the Church first made it a priority to care for the poor and needy), and economic institutions (Monks developed double-entry bookkeeping).
And then there is what Jesus did in your life personally.
My Jesus Story
Only you know the depth of healing and hope Jesus has brought into your life, but I can share how Jesus has changed mine.
I grew up in a Christian home, so I had the foundation of biblical values, but these ideas alone didn’t transform me. As Jeremiah wrote, my sins testified against me, and I needed the Hope of the world to intervene. So, at sixteen years old, alone in a bunkbed, I experienced the presence of God. Like the coming of Jesus 2,000 years ago, it was sudden and unexpected, and that moment put me on the narrow path of following Jesus.
This path has been fun, leading me to a beautiful girl who became my wife and who has given me four exceptional children. But the path of following Jesus has also meant struggling against the demons in my life.
I wouldn’t do it any other way; my battles have made me stronger and wiser. Jesus’ narrow path led me to difficult places where I’ve seen unbelievable miracles. I can’t imagine a life without Him, so I celebrate His coming today.
I don’t know your story, but I know Jesus came to change not just THE world but your world.
So, Merry Christmas. Our Savior has come, and he will come again.