Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read: Luke 2:25-39

“Yes! I finally got it!”

Christmas morning brings lots of glee—kids tearing the paper off of gifts and squealing with delight at what’s inside. Can you remember a Christmas morning when you ripped open a gift that you had been waiting years for? And have you ever thought, This gift completes my life?

Simeon was a faithful, devout man who had waited a long time for his own big gift. You see, God made a promise to him: Simeon would not die until he met the long-promised Messiah.

As the years slipped by, he probably met many firstborn male children visiting the temple. But when Joseph and Mary arrived with Jesus, Simeon knew right away that this boy was special. Imagine Simeon’s joy when he saw that little boy, knowing God had kept His promise, and that here at last was the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for.

A prophet at the temple named Anna shared Simeon’s excitement. The woman was an older widow and had also waited for years to be given a gift.

Perhaps she exclaimed, “This is the child who will redeem Israel. Praise be to the Lord!”

Read: Luke 2:6-7

“What can we do?”

Ever asked that question while observing some wrong or unfairness? It’s out of our control. How can we really help? Sometimes the world’s problems do feel too big for our actions to have any real consequence.

When travel-weary Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem during the big census, they likely encountered a similar attitude among Bethlehem residents who told them, either in words or actions, that they didn’t have space for any more guests.

“Everyone is back in town for the census,” they must have said. “So sorry; we wish we could help!”

The census had transformed quiet Bethlehem into a travelers’ hotspot.

Innkeepers and homeowners had filled every extra space to put a bed. And besides, Mary appeared to be very pregnant, perhaps ready to give birth, and her condition would bring its own complications.

But this tired couple clearly couldn’t spend the night out in the cold. Someone finally stepped forward. We can do something. Maybe they can take a little corner back where the animals sleep. We can clean up that extra manger if the baby comes.

Surely the innkeeper didn’t recognize the significance of the moment. The Son of God would grow up never having a home of His own. He would continue to depend on the kindness of people who saw a need and said, “It won’t be much, but we can do something.”

Read: Luke 1:24-25, 39-45

Have you ever felt an expectant mom’s belly when the baby moves inside? It’s an exciting time, especially for the mom. Is that an elbow? A tiny foot?

You might be able to imagine Elizabeth’s joy when her son moved inside her. This was no hiccup or nudge. The baby leaped within her!

Elizabeth had company at the time. Her young cousin Mary was visiting, and when the two women came near each other, Elizabeth’s baby jumped. In that moment, Elizabeth must have remembered the angel’s words to her husband, Zechariah: Their son, John, would prepare Israel to meet the Messiah, and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth.

Indeed, the baby’s physical response to Mary’s arrival must have been a confirmation of the angel’s message. God’s Spirit moved both mother and son, enabling them to recognize the arrival of the Messiah. “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” she exclaimed. In other words, she expressed her honor that the Messiah’s mother came specifically to visit her.

Read: Luke 1:11-23

Have you ever prayed for something and assumed God had decided not to grant you your request? When enough time goes by, it’s easy to have such thoughts.

Zechariah had asked God for a child, but he hadn’t received one, and he and his wife were now too old to have children. He worked as a priest, serving God faithfully, and probably decided years earlier that God wouldn’t grant his request.

So when the angel Gabriel showed up one day at the temple, announcing to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby, the old priest had a moment of disbelief. Then the angel said that Zechariah’s son, John, would grow to become the prophet who would announce the arrival of the Messiah. That was a lot to take in, given the tall, powerful form filling the room with light.

“How shall I know this?” he asked. “I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

A reasonable question, one might think. Zechariah and his wife were old. But the priest’s doubt cost him his ability to speak during the time of his wife’s pregnancy. God was going to show the people that nothing was impossible when His power showed up.

And everything in the angel’s message came true. When John was born, Zechariah’s speech returned. He promptly praised God.

“The Lord . . . has visited and redeemed his people,” Zechariah exclaimed (Luke 1:68).

Read: Matthew 2:16-18

As word of Christ’s birth spread, not everyone was thrilled with the news.

When the wise men showed up at King Herod’s palace, inquiring about the location of the new King of the Jews, Herod was disturbed. He liked being king, and he thought he was good at it. He was proud of the temple he’d built and of the fortresses and cities he had constructed. He liked ruling over others, and he had a history of ensuring that no one could take that power from him.

So Herod plotted in secret to find this new King in order to remove the threat to his power. “When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him,” he told the wise men (Matthew 2:8).

They didn’t, and Herod couldn’t track down the child. He was jealous at the thought of a new King who might someday unseat him from his throne. This led him to order a horrific slaughter of all the boys under age 2 in the area of Bethlehem.

And this is why Jesus had to come—so that humans might be rescued from sin and darkness forever.

Read: Matthew 2:1-16

Ever had a big dream you couldn’t let go of? Someone you wanted to meet, something you wanted to have, somewhere you wanted to go. It can be difficult to free yourself from such ambitions once they’re in your head.

In a way, the wise men of the Christmas story were chasing their own dream. These scholars could see a bright star sparkling in the Eastern sky. Having read the prophesies, they thought the star was a sign. A new ruler had been born. They wanted to meet Him, so they loaded up for the trip, packing provisions for the long journey and precious gifts appropriate for a king.

Were the Magi disappointed when they finally arrived? They’d been expecting a new ruler, born in a fine palace. They had even stopped at King Herod’s palace to ask about the star and Christ’s birth.

“Not here,” the king’s scholars said, consulting the old prophesies. “Try Bethlehem.”

There was no grand palace in Bethlehem. But there was a small house where a young boy lived with His parents. The wise men brought their gifts before this new King. They knelt before this new kind of King, who had not come as a mighty ruler, but as a humble servant.

Read: Luke 2:15-17

Have you ever visited a new place or saw a new movie that you just had to tell a friend about? And the friend’s response was probably typical: “I’ll have to check it out.” Yes, they believed you. It’s just that . . . well, they needed to see it for themselves.

When the angelic choir disappeared into the darkness, leaving the shepherds alone on that hillside outside Bethlehem, the shepherds probably had questions. They didn’t doubt the news—the sights and sounds of the heavenly hosts convinced them of the truth. But curiosity moved their hearts, so they decided to visit the new King.

“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,” they said to one another.

So they left the sheep and followed the star into town, where they found a dirty stable and a newborn baby sleeping in a manger. They knelt in the dirt. Here He was! The long-promised Savior.

Afterward, the shepherds could hardly contain their excitement. They told everyone they met about what the angel had said. Most people were surprised, though some were likely skeptical—people who needed to see for themselves or didn’t believe a baby could be their Savior.

But many believed. They understood, through hearing the words of the world’s first evangelists, that the Messiah had arrived!

Read: Malachi 3:1-6

Everybody is preparing for Christmas—and there is so much to do! Gifts to buy, get-togethers to plan, greetings to send. And don’t forget about cleaning! We want things to be just right.

John the Baptist was in the preparation business, too. And his ministry had been prophesied in the Old Testament. He wasn’t concerned about presents, parties or cleaning the house. He lived a humble life out in the wilderness, making clothing from camel hair and eating locusts with wild honey (Matthew 3:4). He believed that the Messiah was coming soon, and that his mission was to get people’s hearts ready to accept Him. So John taught people to repent from sin in order to prepare for the One who could truly take away the sins of the world.

After John was gone, people began to forget about him. Jesus had begun His earthly ministry by then, but as crowds listened to Jesus near the river where John had baptized, they remembered the prophet’s words—and it helped them believe that Jesus was the Messiah. “John did no sign”—he didn’t perform miracles, they said. “But everything that John said about this man was true” (John 10:41).