What Christmas Tells Us About the Person and Character of God

So the world will know that hope has come
Today, we celebrate the coming of our Savior and King. Prophets foretold his birth for centuries and, finally, after years of waiting, Christ the Messiah came into the world. The wait for redemption is finally over.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the fulfillment of longings.
We long to be cared for, understood, and known. We want someone to look at our hearts, see who we are, and deeply love us nonetheless. The coming of Christ is the truest fulfillment of our deepest desires and means that we can live lives free of estrangement from the One we we’re created for. He is finally here.
In yesterday’s article, I spoke a lot about anticipation and all the things our human hearts so naturally long for. I guess the question is: What are you waiting for this Christmas? Are you waiting for a Christ who loves unconditionally? One who accepts strangers and welcomes wanderers?
I can promise you that this tiny baby born in a manger so many years ago is all those things and so much more. In looking at the circumstances of his coming—the dirty stable and lowly shepherds with their sheep—we see a God who aimed to turn people’s expectations completely upside down.
He came in humility, through the most unexpected yet beautiful of means, to draw the lowliest and most undeserving among us to himself.
Christ Looks at the Heart
I don’t know about you, but if I were God (be glad I’m not), I’m not confident that I would have chosen a poor, young, inexperienced girl to become my earthly mother. Mary was likely in her teens and lived in a humble home with her mother, father, siblings (and likely several other relatives). She may have spent her days laboring long hours over hot ovens, dirty clothes, and cooking …Continue reading…