For Unto Us a Child is Born

Psalm 81:10

"I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."

I'm starting to learn that there are two categories of people at Christmastime: Those who love it and those who hate it. I am so solidly in the former category that it's difficult for me to believe the latter even exists. I have always loved Christmas, but this year was the best Christmas I've ever had.

When we went to our church's Christmas Eve service I was overcome with emotion. Figuratively, I am the one God delivered from Egypt. I had made a real mess of things at one point in my life and was pretty sure it would stay that way. And it could have. He didn't have to ride in and save me from myself, but He did.

That would have been enough.

But as we stood there with our baby and sang Silent Night I was astounded that God didn't stop there. He has given us so very much. We don't take it for granted. We know that what we have is rare and beautiful and I go to sleep every night just counting our many blessings. True love, a stable home, great friends and family, a beautiful baby girl and one on the way, our first house, a wonderful church home, I could go on and on.

2,000 years ago everything changed. A world that had believed God to be silent for too long, unaware or unconcerned with its hardships and tragedies, found Him to be more real and more present than it had ever imagined. What kind of God would walk into that impoverished infancy, persecuted life and tortured death on purpose? The same kind of God who walked into the mire of my life and changed it forever, and then poured blessings on me ever since.

Luke 2:10-14
¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^a]">[a] the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."