Christmas is such a beautiful time of the year. As believers we gather together with family and friends, exchange gifts and enjoy a feast of food, all the time remembering the true reason for our celebration – the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For instance, do you know what the word Christmas actually means? Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means “the Anointed One.” The word mas means “celebration.” So Christmas is the celebration of the One anointed with the burden-removing, yoke-destroying power of THE ALMIGHTY GOD!
Let’s prepare our hearts once again for the celebration that is approaching and remember the truly miraculous events that took place for the Saviour of the world to enter in.
Angel Gabriel speaks to Mary
26–27 During the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent from God’s presence to an unmarried girl named Mary, living in Nazareth, a village in Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph, a true descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Rejoice, beloved young woman, for the Lord is with you and you are anointed with great favour.”
29 Mary was deeply troubled over the words of the angel and bewildered over what this may mean for her. 30 But the angel reassured her, saying, “Do not yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift. 31 You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will enthrone him as King on the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign as King of Israel forever, and his reign will have no limit.”
34 Mary said, “But how could this happen? I am still a virgin!”
35 Gabriel answered, “The Spirit of Holiness will fall upon you and almighty God will spread his shadow of power over you in a cloud of glory! This is why the child born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your aged aunt, Elizabeth, has also become pregnant with a son. The ‘barren one’ is now in her sixth month. 37 Not one promise from God is empty of power. Nothing is impossible with God!”
38 Then Mary responded, saying, “Yes! I will be a mother for the Lord! As his servant, I accept whatever he has for me. May everything you have told me come to pass.” And the angel left her.
While Mary was wondering how she was going to explain this to Joseph, God had already taken care of it.
The angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph
Matthew 1:18-25 (TPT)
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place.
His mother, Mary, had promised Joseph to be his wife, but while she was still a virgin she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Her fiancé, Joseph, was a righteous man full of integrity and he didn’t want to disgrace her, but when he learned of her pregnancy he secretly planned to break the engagement. 20 While he was still debating with himself about what to do, he fell asleep and had a supernatural dream. An angel from the Lord appeared to him and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t hesitate to take Mary into your home as your wife, because the power of the Holy Spirit has conceived a child in her womb. 21 She will give birth to a son and you are to name him ‘Saviour, for he is destined to give his life to save his people from their sins.”
22 This happened to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through his prophet:
23 Listen! A virgin will be pregnant,
she will give birth to a Son,
and he will be known as “Emmanuel,”
which means in Hebrew,
“God became one of us.”24 When Joseph woke from his dream, he did all that the angel of the Lord instructed him to do. He took Mary to be his wife, 25 but they refrained from having sex until she gave birth to her firstborn son, whom they named “Jesus.”
God confirms His Word across the Land
Luke 2:8-20 (TPT)
8 That night, in a field near Bethlehem, shepherds were watching over their flocks. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified! 10 But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid, for I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere! 11 For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. 12 You will recognize him by this miraculous sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in the feeding trough!”
13 Then all at once in the night sky, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing:
14 “Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven!
For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.”15 When the choir of angels disappeared and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go! Let’s hurry and find this Word who is born in Bethlehem and see for ourselves what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 So they hurried off and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in a feeding trough.
17 Upon seeing this miraculous sign, the shepherds recounted what had just happened. 18 Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was astonished by what they were told.
19 But Mary treasured all these things in her heart and often pondered what they meant.
20 The shepherds returned to their flock, ecstatic over what had happened. They praised God and glorified him for all they had heard and seen for themselves, just like the angel had said.
God is in the details of the miraculous
You see, every single detail was planned out by God. He knew the most perfect timing of the angels visit to Mary and to Joseph. He knew that the wise men had to believe the message was from God. Those wise men took their lives and their treasures in their hands and followed a star until it stopped.
Here’s God the Father taking care of everything.
Just as God planned every single second of Jesus’ entry into this world, He also knows your every single need and has planned out how to get it to you. Isn’t it glorious? Isn’t it incredibly precious and special?
Now go and have a wonderful Christmas, knowing that the Saviour of the world was born, lived, was crucified, defeated the devil, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is alive in you today!
A blessed and merry Christmas to you and your family.
