Do you remember a particular Christmas gift that came as a surprise to you? Mine came in 1995. After two miscarriages I had begun to wonder if I would ever be a mom. My son was born on December 26….several weeks ahead of schedule and induced. I think that God timed my son’s birth to be a Christmas gift to me. But His greatest gift came in another unexpected baby….His Son, my Savior.
The hope of our eternal salvation rested on a little baby lying in a manger. The Israelites longed for the coming of the promised Messiah. But what they expected the Messiah to be is not what Jesus was. They expected someone that had a military background. They anticipated someone that would free them of the Roman’s rule and set up His own kingdom. But God had a different plan. He sent His only begotten Son into our world, not as a rich ruler or high-ranking military official, but to a poor young couple. As His newborn cries filled the night air, His mother laid him in a manager not a golden-gilded crib. This little baby who made such an unexpected entrance into our world on that night was the birth of our greatest hope and God’s plan to redeem us and restore us into His fellowship. Jesus is God’s greatest gift to us.
In Isaiah 53:2, we learn that Jesus had no beauty and his form was not one that would cause us to look at him in awe or to think that He was anyone special. This was far from what the Israelites were looking for, but God wants us to see Him when we look at Jesus – not his physical form. He wasn’t interested in us seeing Jesus as a superstar. He wanted us to see Him through faith as the only Son of God. Too many times we allow what we see to make judgments of people. God wants us to see Him through eyes of faith, believe in His promises, and trust Him in everything. As this week of Advent focuses on hope, in what ways might you have had expectations of who Jesus is? Is He simply “hell insurance?” Someone you call out to when you’re in trouble and ignore when life is going well?” Is He someone you meet with on Sunday during the pastor’s sermon? Or is He the Lord and King of your life?
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