The Change of Christmas

We read these words at the trial of Stephen found in Acts 6:14 this was the charge of the false witnesses,

“14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” (ESV) (Italics added)

You know change is something that scares everyone but it is a critical part of life. Without change we would never grow older and transform from a baby in a cradle to the adults we are. The activities and choices we make often introduce change into our lives. Some of those changes are good while others are bad but those times we endure create who God has called us to be.

You probable are asking what all this has to do with Christmas and the celebration of Jesus coming. Well to be honest it has everything to do with Christmas you see the greatest change that can occur in our lives stems from a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Christmas season is the celebration of His coming and in that coming we can experience redemption from this lost and dying world and look forward to the future.

You know one of the best parts of the Christmas season for me is the reading of Luke 2:1-21. The reason I find it so exciting is because in the 21 verses God has fulfilled six prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. Those prophecies are; He was born a man (Gen. 3:15). He was a Jew (Gen. 12:1-3). He was from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10). He was of the family of David (2 Sam.7:1-17). He was born of a Virgin (Isa.7:14) and He was born in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) in that passage I find a hope for the future and this simple truth. What God has promised; He is faithful to do. He assures his promises to the prophet Jeremiah and us today with these words.

12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:12 (ESV) 

God has proven faithful. As we see with the fulfillment of the promises of His first coming I can find a hope, peace and faith that the other promises we find in His word are true. Such as Jesus’ Crucifixion (Psalm 22), His resurrection (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 16:21) and His ascension (Psalm 103:19) to the right hand of the Father, and His second coming (Zechariah 14:1-9), I can be sure of all of them because of God has proven His ability to fulfill these six.

That is what the birth of Jesus shows me and why it is so important for us to celebrate and remember. Yes change comes and is a part of life but in this season when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ we can be assured that those changes are under God’s authority and while they may not be pleasant they will create in us the person God has called us to be. Today as you celebrate the birth of Jesus I ask you to remember the change he has brought to your own life had he not come where you would be.