Oh, What a Night!

Oh, what a night!  The shepherds tending flocks in the nearby fields didn’t hear the faint jingle of bells as they watched, but they were serenaded by an angelic choir.[1]  Wise men travelling from the Far East didn’t look up to the sky in the hope they might spot a sleigh, but instead to follow a star.[2]  And the focus of the night wasn’t the old face with rosy cheeks of a bearded gift-giver, but the cherubic face of the newly delivered Life-giver who had been laid in a manger in the only place His family could find shelter.[3]

Oh, holy night!  The shepherds left the hills where they watched a flock of sacrificial sheep so they might behold the Lamb of God who would be sacrificed for the sins of the world.[4]  Wise men left the comfort of their palace homes to bring comfort and gifts to the One who left His glorious home to offer them the greatest gift of all – eternal life.[5]  This Child lay sheltered from the night and the stars He created, tended to by those He came to serve and to save.[6]

This Christmas, may you know the Hope and Peace that Jesus came to offer.  May your holiday reflect the Joy that eternal life through Christ can bring.  May you live in a way that honors the gift that began in a manger, but ended with a cross and an empty tomb.  That gift of eternal life is always available to those who believe.[7] 

Joy to you this Christmas!

Jacob

---

[1] Luke 2:8-17

[2] Matthew 2:1-12

[3] Luke 2:1-7

[4] John 1:29-34

[5] Philippians 2:5-11

[6] Colossians 1:13-17; Matthew 20:28

[7] Romans 10:9-13