Quiet Moments: The first Christmas
Celebrating when God became man and dwelt among us
Welcome to the fourth devotion in my recurring devotional series, “Quiet Moments” featured in Bethany Lutheran College’s student newspaper, The Scroll. In this installment, we take a look at the first Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior (God with us). Read last issue’s devotion here.
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people: Today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.’” -Luke 2:10–11 (EHV)
I can only imagine what it was like to be around the manger at the first Christmas. There, Mary sat, watching over the God who made her. There, the baby Jesus stared up at the stars He formed long ago with the words from His now silent mouth. Angels sang, shepherds came and worshipped and gathered around the One who would flip history on its head. No longer would darkness overcome the world, and the light of that star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem still shines on today in His Word, which guides us to all that Christ has done – from the manger to the cross.
At Christmas, we celebrate and ponder the mystery of the incarnation, where God became man to be with us. There is something that words seem to lack to describe how beautiful this truly is - that God would be so gracious to us to come in our place. In this season of celebration, we look to where the salvation God had promised began to take place among His people.
This is what Christmas is truly about - do not fear because Immanuel (“God with us”) is here. This is where the Gospel starts, and we celebrate it because we no longer have to dwell in sorrow over our sins, but Christ has given us life and light by paying for every one of them. It all started here, in a small town called Bethlehem, in a manger with a baby - the one who would grow up to save the world. Thanks be to God. Amen.