Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
What is it about this child that we celebrate His birth every year?
Is it because of the great and miraculous deeds he performed while still in the manger.
Is it because of the blessings he gave us while an infant?
Or is it something more?
Why do we read the Christmas story over and over every year?
Why do we cherish this time of year so much?
This baby Jesus does the same thing for us that he did for those who saw Him as a baby. He gave them Hope just as He gives us Hope.
As they looked at Jesus laying in His manger they were filled with Hope, they prayed that He would grow into the Savior that they prayed for, they hoped that He would be just as the angel said he would be. They remembered the prophecy concerning the messiah and hoped that they would be true and be fulfilled through this child who lay before them.
This child, this Jesus, gives us Hope. All of our Hopes and prayers rest on His shoulders. We do not simply place our faith in a baby, but in the man the baby will become. It is not simply his birth that we celebrate, it is his life. It is the child’s life that we place our hopes upon. It is the man who is the author of hope in whom we place our hope.
As His family watched Him over the years they began to see first hand that their hopes were indeed being fulfilled. They watched this infant, grow into a young man and they saw Him in the Temple with the teachers and their hopes were reassured. They saw His devotion to the Lord and again they were encouraged. As he became a young man they recognized His faithfulness and yet again their hopes were boosted. And when He began His ministry they were all the more confident in their hopes.
It is no different for us, we see all of Christ’s life works in the face of this infant laying in the manger on Christmas morning.
The peace that we all hope for is wrapped in those swaddling clothes.
The forgiveness that we all anticipate rests quietly in the hay.
The love that we await flows through His veins with every heartbeat.
Our hope of Salvation is reflected in the face of this newborn Jesus.
The healing that we long for rests in those tiny hands.
The hope of guidance is in His feet and where they will lead us.
The Compassion we seek is found in his newly formed eyes.
Our hope for the future can be found in His every breath.
And our hope of redemption is found in His love for us.
As many hopes as we have can all be found in Christ. All of our concerns and worries are comforted by Jesus. All our trials and troubles find relief in our savior.
This is why we celebrate Christmas. It is because of the child who will grow to be a man who will become our savior. It is because of the love that He showed us by becoming one of us. It is because all of our hopes are realized in this newborn baby. This child is our past, our present and our future. He is our purpose, He is the reason for everything that we do. It is this Jesus to whom:
every knee shall bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue shall confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
If you are living your life with no hope, I beg you to come and find that hope in Jesus, not simply the child, but the man whom he became. He wants to give you the peace that you’re looking for. He waits to fulfill your hopes. He is calling you to receive forgiveness of sin, and salvation from the judgment that is coming for those unprepared.
Come and kneel not only at the manger where he lay as an infant, but also at the cross where he died as a savior for you and for me.
