I pray that your Christmas is a blessed one, filled with the glories of the wondrous gift of life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

"For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

Yes, we celebrate His birthday, but unlike so many, we do not keep Him in the crib to take out and honor each year at the season of Christmas. What a tragic thing to ONLY know of the Babe in a manger; to year after year miss the true meaning of Christmas.

Though we have only a few glimpses of His childhood, Scripture tells us that, "Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Luke 2:52

We see Him again when He starts His ministry and during those three years to His death on the cross. His ministry was the work that God gave Him to do as John 17 tells us, "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou has given Me to do." Vs. 4 "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world..." Vs.6 "The words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them, and they received them and truly understood that I came from Thee..." Vs. 8 "I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self..." Vs. 26 Amplified Bible

Having done this Jesus went to the cross to pay the sin debt once for all; the finished work for our salvation. As with the Babe still in the crib, tragically, there are those who do not see that the cross is empty or that the tomb is empty. How blessed we are that God provided the work of His Holy Spirit in each of our lives to bring us to the place of showing us our need for a Savior and preparing our hearts to received Him.  Jesus is the Father's glorious and beautiful gift of Christmas. All else pales in significance as we look into the face of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Heavenly Father, forever we thank you. Amen.