O Holy Night

O Holy Night!

With Christmas fast approaching I wanted to share some reflections on Scripture, specifically regarding the four gospel accounts, in hopes that it might bring the meaning of Christmas to life in your hearts…

Matthew’s gospel opens with the words, “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham…” The sheer magnitude of this declaration is often lost in the ensuing genealogy. What Matthew is sharing with the audience is the fact that this man, Jesus, is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to resolve humanity’s helplessly fatal sin-problem initiated in Genesis with Adam & Eve’s rebellion. God ties Jesus to King David’s line because David was promised to have an offspring on the throne forever stating, “… I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7:12b-13). Matthew also ties Jesus to Abraham’s line because way back in Genesis 12 God made an everlasting covenant with Abram stating, “… and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So in one powerful statement Matthew lets the audience know that this baby, Jesus, about to be born is actually the promised eternal king and savior of humanity.

Mark’s gospel, the most concise of the four, skips over the birth narrative and opens with John the Baptist’s prophetic fulfillment as the one who would come before the Messiah (the anticipated & prophesied Savior from Gen 12:3, and matchless King of Gen 49:10) as “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

At the beginning of Luke’s gospel the author provides the audience with a clear purpose for his account; “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” In the second chapter of John’s gospel he illuminates the historical context of Jesus’ birth with facts such as: 1) under the rule of Caesar Augustus, 2) while “Quirinius was governor of Syria,” and 3) the fact that a census was being taken. The census caused Mary & Joseph to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem because as descendants of the tribe of Judah – the Messiah’s prophesied tribe in Gen 49:10 – that was technically their home. In doing so they fulfilled they prophecy that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

In John, the fourth and final gospel, we read that this Messiah is the eternal Word and co-eternal with the Father & Holy Spirit. We also read that the Word – Jesus – as a member of the co-eternal Holy Trinity is the author of life; He is life itself and the light of humanity. In John 1:14 we read “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacle) among us.” What John is telling his audience is the Son of God (Jesus) ‘became flesh’ in order to fix the fatal sin-problem (Gen 3) by coming down from heaven to dwell ‘among us.’

So Christmas is the celebration of Jesus, God, the eternal Word, and the Light of Humanity, who left His throne in heaven in order to dwell among us and become the exclusive perfect payment for, and resolution to, the problem of sin. Christ’s first coming (or advent) is celebrated as the greatest gift that hopelessly, helplessly lost humanity could ever receive while simultaneously being the greatest gift we could ever share with friends, family, and a lost world.

Matthew’s gospel concludes with Christ’s imperative that compels us to “go and make disciples of all peoples;” Marks gospel dramatically closes with the witnesses of Christ’s resurrection fleeing and telling no one what they witnesses “because they were afraid,” thus compelling YOU to courageously go because those characters failed. Luke’s gospel concludes with Jesus’ telling His disciples to be His witnesses to the truth of Scripture just prior to His ascension to heaven and promised return; and John’s gospel concludes with “The Miraculous Catch,” which demonstrates: 1) that Jesus’ true followers truly can & do become ‘fishers of men,’ and 2) that there is reconciliation and life in Christ even for those of us who, like Peter, consistently fail miserably, but ultimately are committed to feeding His sheep heeding His call to “Follow me!”

Christmas is still about CHRIST. Christmas is about the gift He brought through His incarnational birth, the gift of grace He gives through His sacrificial death, and the gift His genuinely committed followers share by courageously and lovingly live out – the reality that Jesus is the exclusive Light of Humanity.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees,

Oh, hear the angel voices

O night divine,

O night when Christ was born

O night divine!

Merry CHRISTmas!

-Kevin