Everything Changed

Red, green, and blue lights twinkled and glistered off baubles and tinsel on the Christmas tree displayed in the department store. I had just finished my last-minute Christmas shopping; tired and hungry, I sat down for a quick bite at the snack bar.

Staring at all the beautiful Christmas decorations near the entrance as shoppers hurried in and out, I could not help but notice that something was missing. Not a single decoration conveyed the Christmas message I hoped to find, a message that directed my heart to the birth of our Savior.

In Micah 5, God promised to send a king, the Messiah, who would make atonement for the sins of his people. And his birthplace was identified as Bethlehem, the little town of David. With the Nativity of Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, everything changed. Our Savior's arrival ushered in a new way of life, a new existence filled with real purpose and meaning.

Do we still treasure the miracle on Christmas Day? Can others see in the way we live our lives the deep love and devotion we have for the one who has taken away our sins and forgiven our many faults? Are we bursting with deep gratitude for the gifts God freely affords us — his words and promises, his actions and plans for each of us, and his love and protection?

Our Lord would like us to fill our minds and hearts with the things that remind us of the greatness of Christmas. We have been given an eternal inheritance, an unrivaled friendship in Christ, a light of hope and love from him who came to suffer and die for us.

Let us always “seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:33) and allow everything else to fall appropriately into second place, always contemplating the wonders of the birth of our Lord and Savior as often as we can and not only at Christmas.

Glory to the newborn King!

Lord, help me treasure your wonders on Christmas Day and keep in me an attitude of awe for all you have done in my life. I thank you for coming into our world as a human, yet “God with us,” to save us. Amen.

Throughout This Day: Never turn your gaze away from our Lord today, who came as a newborn in Bethlehem and changed everything.

Song of Reflection: “A Baby Changes Everything” by Faith Hill