In the previous reflection, we considered how the flesh of Jesus served as a veil to God’s glory. In this reflection, we will see how the very thing that separates us from God’s glory and presence is the very thing that unites us and grants us entrance.

This is why Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Paul puts it like this, “There is one God and one mediator, the man Jesus Christ” (Timothy 2:5).

Christ as our High Priest serves as our mediator, acting on our behalf and bringing us to God. For a mediator to function effectively, they must fully represent both parties in a conflict and then execute a solution.

Jesus does this impeccably for He is fully God and fully man. Thus He is able to bring two opposing parties together while fully representing both completely and accurately.

This is why the incarnation is not just so important, but indispensable to our redemption. Through uniting to us in His flesh, Jesus is able to unite us to God through His Divine nature. But notice, it is mandatory that we come through His flesh.

Therefore, it is as humans that we come through the humanity of Jesus into fellowship with the Triune God and share in His eternal life.

The Tearing of Jesus’ flesh grants us entrance into the presence of God.

As we noted, the author of Hebrews is underscoring the superiority and finality of the work of Christ our Great High Priest in bringing us into the presence of God.

You recall, that the theme of Jesus’ body being the temple means that He is the true dwelling place of God, wrapped in human flesh. When we make the connection to the veil of Jesus’ flesh and the veil in the temple, we discover that it is a simple connection to make.

For instance when Jesus died, Matthew informs us that the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This signified that access to God has been established once and for all in a new and living way, and that the things that separate us from God have been dealt with. Namely, our otherness, and more so, our sin.

This also signified that it was the work of God in that the veil was torn from top to bottom. In other words, it is God Himself who accomplishes the work of redemption.

In making this connection, it is also clear that Jesus’ flesh served as the veil that was torn as it was ripped apart by Roman flails and whips. This is why when Jesus instituted the New Covenant, He said ‘this is my body broken for you… this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 22:19-21).

As a human High Priest, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice whose body was torn and whose blood is able to save us to the uttermost and sanctify our hearts forever.

It was as His body was abused, beaten, ripped and torn, and His blood spilled that the true veil was torn.

Through His perfect and sinless humanity, He was an adequate offering to die in our stead and based on that achievement, give us full and free access to God. As a Christian, this means that with Jesus and in Jesus we come to God as humans. Redeemed humans washed in His blood and made new in His life.

Therefore we cannot emphasize enough that we come through our shared humanity with Jesus into the triune life and fellowship that He has always enjoyed and now shares with us as one of us.

This is how God brings many sons to glory and remakes redeemed humanity in the image of His Son.

As humans, we have full access into the life of the triune God all because Jesus chose to share our human nature with us and became a temple that could never be destroyed by death, but that destroys death once and for all.

In closing, this Christmas, let us remember that Jesus who came for us came as one of us, and that apart from His humanity, we would have no access to God.

Each year many Christians are faced with the decision of what to do about the holidays. Can they celebrate with everyone else or should they refrain because of the pagan origins of some of the practices associated with this time of year? For some, this is no minor dilemma. What follows is offered in a hope we may find the balance essential to a healthy Christian life.

While the chronology is debated, the best evidence says believers began celebrating Jesus’ birth in the 4th Century. There was uncertainty over the correct date so they picked December 25, a day already being used to celebrate the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. As converts from paganism, they desired to distance themselves from their past. What better way to do that than to turn their love and devotion to the Savior while their neighbors were caught up in the error of their empty faith?

In those early centuries, Christmas commemorated more than Jesus’ first coming as a babe to Bethlehem. It anticipated His Second Coming as King of Creation. Believers looked backward with thanksgiving while looking forward in anticipation. This forward-looking aspect of Christmas is seen in the observance of Advent, a four-week period preceding Christmas when we pause to remember the meaning of the coming of the Savior.¹

What poses a difficulty for many Christians today is the realization that many of the rituals of Christmas are a carry-over, not from the Christian traditions of Christmas, but pagan religious holidays. The Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, the Yule log, as well as a host of other practices, come from pagan sources.

The question immediately arises, “If these things are pagan in origin, ought we engage in them?”

Some are convinced they should not. Following the Apostle Paul’s guidance in Romans 14, if one’s conscience is violated, then certainly, they should not observe these things. But let me suggest another way to look at Christmas and its rituals.

The observance of holidays is something God-ordained and commanded in the Old Testament. He instructed Israel to set aside special days as a time of remembrance of the great acts of redemption He’d worked in their history. Each year they were to cease from other activity and remember His great salvation. Passover, Tabernacles, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement; all these point to what God had done, as well as what He had promised yet to do. Celebration on special days commemorating God’s promises was to be a regular and annual part of the life of faith.

One of the commands God gave about these holy days was that when the children asked their parents what the day meant, the parents were to tell the children about God’s mighty grace and how He works in the lives of those who call on Him. At the Passover table, filled as it was with so many strange dishes, it was only natural for children to ask why they ate those particular foods. Parents then explained how each item represented their unique covenant with God. At the celebration of Tabernacles, the entire nation moved outdoors to lean-to shacks made of palm branches. In this way, they commemorated the wilderness wanderings and living in tents. While fun for the kids, it raised their curiosity and provided a teachable moment; a way to ensure the past was not forgotten.

So holidays had a two-fold purpose:

. To regularly remind adults that God works in human affairs.
. To train up the children in the knowledge and heritage of faith in God.

The early church was mainly comprised of converted Jews. As we read the book of Acts, we see that they continued celebrating the holidays of Israel. But now, these special days were infused with new meaning and relevance. Those first Christians could see these special days as not merely a looking back to what God had done but to what God did in giving His only begotten Son, and in what He had promised He would do in the future.

While the Jews have several major feast days, Christians concentrate their attention on two great times of rejoicing: Christmas and Easter. These two holidays are memorials to God’s faithfulness and love. It’s only right we follow on in the tradition of faith by setting aside special days to remember and reflect on the greatness of God and our New Covenant with Him.

The problem is that we find no specific instructions in the Bible on how to celebrate Christmas.

Where such instruction is lacking, we may use sanctified common sense. This means we must avoid sin and walk wisely. We must also consider the dictates of our conscience. But let us each ensure our conscience is informed by truth.

While it is true that most of the rituals of Christmas observed today have their origin in pagan practices, they do not have those associations today. People do not worship their Christmas tree. (Although, they may worship what’s under it!) The dilemma we must address is this: Just what DO the rituals of this season mean? Why do we put a tree in our living room? Why do we decorate it? Why do we give presents, and what is the meaning of the stocking? Who is Santa, and how can he come down that chimney if he has cookies and milk at every house?

While these things don’t have pagan meanings for us, there’s still a problem. The problem is that they have NO meaning. They’re empty of content. Consequently, they’re pointless, vain practices for most. Empty rituals make for a lifeless faith. Jesus was quite hard on the religious leaders of his day precisely on this point. They went through the motions of religion, without any real meaning in their rituals. He didn’t call them to stop their practices but rather to do them with hearts in tune with what they meant (Matthew 23:23).

Rather than cast off the traditions of Christmas, why not re-infuse them with meaning so they become living object lessons of what this season is all about?

When our children were young, this is the way we went about it in our home. On Christmas Eve, we gathered the children around as we sat by the tree and told them the Christmas story. The lights on the tree are a reminder of the stars that lit the field where the shepherds watched their flocks. Then angels appeared to declare the birth of Christ. The star on the top of the tree reminds us of the star that guided the Magi. We tell our children that truly wise people still seek out Christ. The round ornaments remind us that Jesus came because God loves the whole world. The colors of the ornaments: gold, silver, red and such speak of the richness of God’s gift and how Jesus came to shed His blood for our sins. The tree itself is a reminder that Jesus came, not to rule, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many on the cross of Calvary. (But when He comes again, He comes as King.) The evergreen reminds us that the love and promises of God are everlasting.

We give gifts to one another as a reminder of the greatest of all gifts—Jesus. The stocking which was empty the night before Christmas is filled on Christmas morn, reminding us that when we were empty, Christ filled us with good things. We set out an extra stocking each year. This is Jesus’ stocking. On Christmas morning, before we do any gift opening, we each put a hand into the stocking and pray, offering ourselves to God.

Some people are leery of the whole idea of Santa Claus and as he is presented today, there is a need for concern. But history tells us of a man named Nicholas who was so infused with the love and grace of God he gave hand-made toys to underprivileged children in the name of Jesus. This hero of the faith is worthy of recognition and emulation as we seek to spread the grace of God to those less privileged than ourselves. We can use the symbol of Santa, not as an icon of greed and getting, but as a godly example of grace and giving.

These are some of the ways we’ve infused the real meaning of Christmas into the traditions of the holiday.

If you’re inspired by them, you’re welcome to use them as you wish. Come up with your own as well and share them with your friends so that their experience of Christmas can be enriched.

When it comes to the celebration of Christmas, let these words of the Apostle Paul guide you: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).

Notes:

¹ Dowley, Tim, A Lion Handbook of the History of Christianity Lion: Oxford. 31.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:1-3).

This part of Advent is R-rated. Read on to see the tragedy brought on in Bethlehem and her surrounding villages by the jealous, insecure, dangerous Herod. Once he determined where and when this new (and true) King of the Jews had been born, he set out to destroy Him. History confirms this was the way Herod dealt with threats to his throne, even from within his own family.

So when these Magi entered Israel, they assumed they’d find the next King in the house of the current king, Herod, in Jerusalem, of course. Their assumption proved disastrous.

Verses 17-18 tell us the massacre actually fulfilled what the prophet said in Jeremiah 31:15 regarding Rachel weeping over lost children.

The only redemptive reason I see for this tragedy is to provide realistic insight into the brutality of the world Jesus came to save. A world where the most vulnerable were victims to the evil works of Satan, whom Jesus had come to defeat as well.

God foretold this sad scene, because God foresaw it. But God didn’t manipulate this tragic crime against babies and little boys. NEVER blame God for the evil that men do. If only the Magi had waited! Because this star wasn’t done. It appeared again, leading the Wise Men directly to the place where the Child was. O, may we learn to wait on the Lord!

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple…and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

Anna was the right woman, at the right place, at the right time. As Simeon delivered sad words about Jesus’ future and Mary’s pain, God plugged-in a megaphone of hope, to remind us all of the Great News that Messiah was here. That megaphone was an 84-year-old widow who literally lived at the temple. With no husband but God (see Isaiah 54:5) she decided to move into God’s house and was there day & night praying and fasting.

Anna was a temple fixture, like an eighth branch of the beautiful Menorah, which she had never seen. It was in the inner temple rooms a woman could not enter. But Anna was indeed a bright light to those she met, especially this day.

The sound of Anna’s praises would’ve especially comforted Mary with a touch of heaven at that heavy moment. Yes, Simeon spoke for God, but Anna provided that next chorus of “hallelujah” so needed at that moment. Then Anna’s praises turned to preaching, as “she talked about Jesus to everyone,” who’d been looking, hoping and waiting for God to rescue, save, restore and forgive. May our voices lift the same praises and speak the same truth to those who are hungry for heaven’s greatest gift…Jesus. Preach on, Anna, preach on.

“Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, ‘This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul’” (Luke 2:33-35).

Why this sad news in the middle of such great joy? Simeon has just praised God over the presence of Jesus. Then the same Spirit who led him to the Temple now leads him to speak heart-breaking truth. First Simeon blessed Joseph and Mary, then spoke only to Mary, possibly leaning in close to whisper these hard words: “many will fall, others rise, many will oppose.” Then the razor’s edge, “A sword will pierce your very soul, Mary.”

Next to Jesus, Mary’s calling was the heaviest of all. Carrying a child you know to be the answer to the hope of salvation for the whole world, including yourself, is heavy enough. But imagine also being told that you, His mother, will witness this opposition and feel the pain of the sword piercing your soul? How do you carry that weight? Only by the grace of God who called you to this journey. Remember? Gabriel told Mary on day one, “Greetings, favored woman. The Lord is with you!” That promise didn’t expire after the day of the “immaculate conception.” God kept that promise to Mary, as He does to all who trust Him, EVERY DAY. Even on days when bad news breaks. Jesus said it: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

“That day the Spirit led [Simeon] to the temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as You have promised. I have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of Your people Israel’” (Luke 2:27-32).

The day had come. Perhaps Simeon waited for decades or just a few days, but the “promise given” was now the “promise fulfilled.” He came “by the Spirit” that day, ascending the Temple Mount at just the right time. He saw all the typical, daily activity there: conversations and theological debates, prayers, songs and ceremonies, and sacrificial animals being led to the place of their execution to make things right between God and the worshiper. Then he saw them. A young Galilean couple carrying their first baby to be dedicated as God’s Word commanded. Perhaps God handed down that mandate knowing that THIS day, THIS couple would bring THIS Son who was being prepared for “all the people” as a future sacrifice.

Simeon not only saw this face in the crowd, he understood that to see the face of Jesus, was to see Salvation. What was true for Simeon is true for us. To see Jesus for who He is, and to embrace Him and worship, as Simeon did, is to be truly ready to “die in peace.”

That face in the crowd had come to die for the crowd, the whole crowded world. See Him. Embrace Him. Find peace in Him.

“Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often” (Luke 2:19).

All mothers keep “baby books.” But Mary’s journal of Jesus’ early (and adult) life was different than that of any other mom. There were many angelic visits to different people. Joseph alone had four. Angels had gave explicit instructions for the naming of this promised child. Her relative, Elizabeth, had a supernatural pregnancy. A Roman decree forced their long journey to Bethlehem late in Mary’s pregnancy. And of course, her baby book would include the details about swaddling cloths, a feeding trough and the visit of shepherds and Eastern Magi with expensive gifts. Of course, one of the most treasured memories must have been how this amazing man, Joseph, chose to stay with her after she told him she was pregnant.

No wonder we read that she “kept all these things in her heart and thought about them” over and over again. Some translations of Luke say she “treasured” these details. Each one being a precious gem to this young mother. She was living in the “wonderland” of God’s redemptive activity.

Mary’s heart was captured by Christmas. Perhaps it comforted her in those years when Jesus seemed so much like any other Jewish boy, attending Beit Sepher (Jewish Elementary school), learning carpentry under Joseph’s guidance or playing games with His younger siblings.

Rehearsing the treasured memories of Christmas would have reminded and reassured her that God was with her and Joseph, and they raised His Son.

Let Christmas linger. Don’t toss the tree too soon. Treasure the apparent trivial details, and see how rich they are with meaning. Allow yourself to be captured by Christmas again and again as you pour over Jesus’ “baby book.” Let Advent live in your heart.

“When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished” (Luke 2:15-18, NLT).

Boxing Day, the day after Christmas is basically about giving some of what you have to those who have less. (We learned that while living in Australia). That’s the scene here. Follow me…

What do you do when angels appear in the middle of the night and say, “Your Savior’s here,” and then fill the formerly “silent night” with exuberant praise? You outrun Usain Bolt into town to search. And that’s what they did. They searched for and found the baby, as predicted, wrapped in rags, nestled into a feeding trough.

Perhaps the shepherds’ next move was predictable but still commendable. “They told everyone what had happened,” admitting they’d been directed by an angel. Understand this: They had to bridge an existing credibility gap. Shepherds weren’t held in high regard back then. They were often ceremonially “unclean” due to the death, blood and mess they lived around connected to shepherding. But they “told everyone” what they knew. It took courage, faith, humility, obedience and love for their neighbor. These shepherds were the first human evangelists for Christ.

These shepherds didn’t know much. Only that Jesus had arrived. Our theology is far more filled-out with information on the life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. So let’s be “shepherdy.”

Don’t keep what you know to yourself. “Tell everyone what happened” in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee and Jerusalem. Let’s share what we know. It’s such great news. It’s the Gospel. (And Happy Boxing Day, mates!)

“There were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (Luke 2:8-11).

This was Mary’s first baby. Her others: Jude, James, Joses, Simon and their unnamed sisters, weren’t bedded down in feeding troughs. It’s also safe to assume angels weren’t delivering messages about their births. But with Jesus’ approach and arrival, the recurring message to all involved in the drama was this: “Don’t be afraid!”

Of course, the message was first intended to calm the senses of those who were terrified at the encounter of one of God’s heavenly soldiers, but “Don’t be afraid!” also addresses mankind’s natural response to the unknown, unwanted, unplanned, disorienting events of life we all face, “from the manger to the grave.” Fear moves us in the wrong direction. Fear convinces us to stay put, rather than to move forward. Fear robs us of our sleep and ignites panic where there should be peace. Fear keeps us from trusting God.

But Mary’s baby, God’s Son, came to replace fear with hope, love and perfect peace.

This Christmas, may your heart be drained of fear and filled with God’s love, His overflowing hope and His peace that surpasses understanding. How is that possible? Because, as the angel said, “I bring Good News. The Savior, the Messiah, the Lord has been born today.”

And so, I wish you, not a “Scary Christmas,” but a very Merry Christmas.

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for then in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

I wrote a Christmas song years ago, imagining Joseph’s perspective. I was at the start of a late night drive, listening to Christmas music in mid-December. Here’s a couple verses of that song, “O Joseph.”

An endless line of headlights on Interstate 5

300 miles before me on my midnight drive

And I can’t help but think about those travelers long ago

Who made their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem of old

The road was choked with refugees, the weary and the worn

And the world was all in shambles in the year that He was born

Peace was just a memory, and hope had all but died

But He broke the darkness the moment that He cried

An honest, historical survey of what Mary & Joseph encountered as they traveled crowded roads with other displaced people would make it clear that indeed, the “world was all in shambles” in those days. This scene evokes empathy in us all.

Yet, as this chosen couple entered Bethlehem, where Joseph had family, no welcome mat was rolled out. No uncle or cousin opened their door. No VIP suite was prepared. No staff of medical professionals. Instead, we find “highly favored” Mary taking up temporary residence in an unfavorable shed, barn or cave. Then Mary said, “It’s time, Joseph.” The Savior of the world, THEIR Savior, was born in that crude environment.

But that was central to Jesus’ mission. He needed to be deeply embedded as Emmanuel, “God with us,” not basking in luxury at a safe distance, looking down from an ivory tower. He would start and stay at “street level” where we live. Brace yourself, Mary. The stage was finally set. The players were all in place. Gabriel, you can cue that heavenly choir.

“Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men’” (Luke 2:13-14).

Few people knew He was coming. The world was taken by surprise, though all Israel had waited and hoped for Messiah. But they never guessed the big event would be staged in the heart of Bethlehem farmland.

Yet, there was a multitude tracking His progress months after months. Perhaps months passed more quickly from their perch, high above our “time-space” continuum. I’m speaking of angels. Heavenly host. They were poised to party. Ready to sing, shout or proclaim, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

If angels smile, you know they were smiling big that Bethlehem night. And they had to tell someone, so they traumatized the shepherds to inform them their Petah Tikvah (Hebrew for “Door of Hope”) had just arrived. They knew what Jesus was coming to do.

The one thing I wonder is whether or not they’d been commanded to celebrate or had volunteered, unable to keep back their exuberant shouts of “Glory to God.” I picture “fist-pumping, wing-flapping, trumpet-blasting” praise. This was no stately choir but more like a scene in the stands of the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day after The Ohio State Buckeyes win a Championship (Go Ohio!). Perhaps it was somewhat reverent, but this was the beginning of a revolution. The first of many victory chants…“WELL DONE, GOD.”

Their work was not done. Thirty-three and a half years lied ahead, but Jesus was here. The Messiah was on site. And that was worth a party. Can I get an AMEN?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” (John 1:1-3,14).

Mark’s gospel says absolutely nothing about Jesus’ birth.

Matthew provides us no details about the actual birth either but informs us of the visit of the Magi and the terrible massacre of the sons of Bethlehem that followed.

Luke is filled with rich details that complete the Christmas story we all love to hear. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the manger, swaddling clothes, Simeon and Anna, frightened shepherds and singing angels. All these details come from Luke’s Nativity narrative.

Then there’s John who’d certainly read Luke & Matthew but decided to go back to “the beginning,” beyond creation, to unveil the true identity of this “barn-born baby.” John introduces us to Jesus as “The Word,” our Creator, the true God through whom all things were made.

Then comes verse 14. John drops a beautiful truth bomb on us as he tells us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Just to be clear, when we look at the infant held by Mary and protected by Joseph, we’re seeing God at the very moment He “incarnated” (“took on flesh.”) Charles Wesley’s Advent Hymn says it best:

“Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;

Hail th’incarnate deity,

Pleased as man, with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.”

Well said Charles … “WORD!!!!”

God didn’t “send” us a Savior. God came in person to “become” our Savior.

I don’t understand this, but oh, how I LOVE it.

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and shall bring forth a son, and shall call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:31).

“She shall bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Perhaps one of the toughest tasks in early parenthood is choosing the name our children will carry with them through their lives.

My wife, Joy, and I have four children whom we carefully and thoughtfully named. Bethany was named for the city where Jesus’ greatest miracle took place. Shannon was named after a beautiful river in Ireland. Jeremy’s is another form of the Biblical name, Jeremiah. Starlin, the name of our youngest daughter, means “beautiful star.”

Thankfully, the naming of God’s Son was not a decision Joseph and Mary had to make. The angel instructed them both…“Call Him Jesus.”

But wait! Jesus had lots of names. Isaiah 7:14 said, “Call Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:6 goes over the top on the names, adding five more: “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Paul, in Philippians 2:9-10, simply says God gave Jesus the “name above all names.” A name is more than the personal word your mother uses to call you to dinner. Your name speaks of how people see you, your reputation and character. To call Jesus “by His name,” is to understand that He’s all we need. He’s the One with the highest integrity, character and capability. He has an exalted name, a good name, a trusted name. His name is “wonder-filled, wisdom-filled, peace-filled.” He is the perfect, eternal and powerful Father. And that name, “Jesus.” That one is where it all starts. That name means “Savior.” Start there. Call on that name; then let Him be all He came to be.

“Joseph went up from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary his fiancée who was clearly pregnant” [paraphrase] (Luke 2:4-5).

Note Joseph and Mary’s experience. Whether they took the winding central route through Israel, up and down, over and around hills, mountains, valleys, streams and other obstacles; or the easier road along the Jordan river valley, then up the dangerous, treacherous Jericho road (Luke 10:30), they’d have nearly 100 miles from Nazareth and Bethlehem. Mary was in the last days of her mysterious, miraculous pregnancy. She and Joseph accepted God’s will without knowing what lied ahead. What went through their minds on those seven to 10 days of travel?

Imagine their “discussion” as they traveled to Judea:

“Can you believe we’re doing this?”

“What do you think He’ll look like?”

“Thank you, Joseph, for staying when you could have left.”

“Have you heard any more from Gabriel?”

“Do you think we’ll ever get back to Nazareth?”

“What if my family in Bethlehem doesn’t believe our story?”

“What if it’s a girl?!?!?!”

“Are we almost there?”

Maybe they sang the “Songs of Ascents” (Psalm 120-134) as they climbed the hills toward Jerusalem.

Honestly, we have no idea what they talked about on the road. What does stand out, however, is Mary and Joseph’s endless act of worship in the form of daily, consistent surrender to God’s will, as they walked this out together and made a home for Jesus, the Messiah. This young couple painted a vivid picture of what a loving God looks like in real time, step after step after faithful step in our long journey with Jesus. Worship always begins with an act of obedience. And then another…

Just keep walking.

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

This Child would change everything. His purpose was set from eternity. He was the One, not only the Jews were looking, longing and praying for, but also the “superhero” the whole world was looking for. History tells us that other civilizations and people groups believed a savior was coming from above. Honestly, the people of the world have always known that “we need help” from above or beyond. Various cultures look for shamans, lamas, imams, gurus, gods and “spirits in the sky” to come and fix this mess we’ve made.

So it was in those difficult days of King Herod and Caesar Augustus (his name meaning “majestic,” “venerable,” “the great one”) that God slipped into the world past the “deity detector” of all who were waiting for their version of the “deliverer.” “A Child was born, a Son given,” a wonderful, wise, mighty, eternal provider of peace who would establish an eternal kingdom.

All of this was about to begin around 5 B.C. as the Son of God moved in among us, and we stepped over the threshold from hopelessness into hope. Thirty years later, He would begin teaching, preaching, healing and gathering a band of disciples. Three and half years after that, He would die for the sins of the world, opening wide the gate of heaven to all who would believe in Him and enter this kingdom that will never end.

And all of that would be wrapped in swaddling clothes.