Yes, it’s true. Sometimes I forget. I forget where I put my glasses. I forget where I put my car keys. Sometimes in a large parking lot, I forget where I parked my car. I might forget to answer an email or forget someone’s birthday. BUT – there are some things that I never want to forget as long as I live.

I was reminded of this last night at a church reenactment of the Christmas story – a story that I have heard for so many years and know so well – and yet, last night this story felt brand new all over again – a startling revelation of God’s love and a reminder of what extraordinary measures God took to make His love manifest to all mankind. How could I have forgotten such fantastic truths?

Christmas is so much more than a birthday celebration, so much more than an historical event remembered, so much more than just another holiday. Christmas is about a promise kept, prophesies fulfilled and miracles made known. The promise? God told satan in the garden –

“he (woman’s offspring) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

God promised us, we who are “the sheep of His pasture”, you and I, who are created in His image -to us God promised to send a Rescuer, a Redeemer, a Savior, a Deliverer, a Shepherd, a Sacrificial Lamb. Jesus is all of those things and more. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” (John 14:6)

God’s promise to mankind became reality on the night Jesus was born. That night, the prophesies were fulfilled which said –

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Then there was the testimony of a man described in Luke like this –

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” (Luke 2:25-26)

When Simeon encountered the baby Jesus in the temple courts, this is what happened –

“Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.’ ” (Luke 2:28-32)

Simeon recognized God’s gift to the world of His only Son, the Savior He promised so long ago. Simeon recognized the miracle that had taken place –

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Truly Christmas is about miracles from start to finish – the miracle of God’s love for you and for me being so great that He would give His own Son to die in my place and in your place, so that we might have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

I am overwhelmed with the miracle of the Christmas story – that God would choose to take on our humanity and walk miles in our human shoes before dying on a cross for our sins so that we could be made right with God. Who else would do such a thing? What Jesus did for me and for you and for all humanity is described in these words –

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)

I don’t ever want to forget the miracle that is the Christmas story. It’s a story that starts with the miracle of a manger filled with God’s presence. The story ends with an empty tomb because the grave cannot contain God’s presence. I don’t want to forget any detail of the Christmas story because it is a story of redemption, forgiveness, hope, second chances, limitless love and eternal life. I need all of those things.

Today I am celebrating the Christmas story, remembering the words the angel said to the shepherds –

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

Don’t live in fear! There is good news, which brings great joy, and it’s for everybody! No one is left out.

the Savior is here! prepare to receive Him!

sincerely, Grace Day

There have been a lot of them – “nights before Christmas” – two thousand twenty-four such nights to be exact, since the original night when Jesus was born. Today, in many cultures, this night before Christmas, Christmas Eve, is considered sacred. It is observed in different ways around the world. One of the better-known descriptions of Christmas Eve is found in Clement Moore’s poem – “Twas the Night Before Christmas” which begins like this-

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”

Sounds pretty quiet (“not a creature was stirring”) – sounds like they were prepared for the guest they were expecting (“the stockings were hung”) – sounds like they were ready to receive their anticipated guest, Santa, whenever he arrived. However, what it doesn’t sound like or describe is the first Christmas Eve when Jesus was born. That first Christmas Eve, no one was prepared, no one was even keeping watch, and it was anything but quiet. A better description of that first Christmas Eve might be-

Twas the night of the arrival of the long-awaited King, but no one watched or waited, none expected such a thing

Even though all the prophets had predicted the Messiah’s arrival, people grew weary in the waiting, focused solely on survival

because life was hard for everyone, as slaves they were greatly oppressed- they were waiting for a warrior, a baby they never would have guessed

would be the One to set them free, to deliver them from their plight – not a soldier, but a Savior, God gave the world that night.

He was born in a stable since all the inns were filled, but not a one took notice, except the angels who were thrilled –

the angels proclaimed to the shepherds this miracle of Jesus’s birth, then the shepherds hurried to worship Him, God’s gift to all on earth.

A brilliant star arose over the place where Jesus lay, guiding shepherds and the wise men on their journey’s way –

“Peace on earth, good will to men”, the angels all proclaimed – as they left, the shepherds heard their glad refrain – the world would never be the same –

Immanuel! Immanuel! God has come with us to dwell!

Peace on earth, good will to men. God’s forgiveness breaks the power of sin!

Immanuel! Immanuel! God has come with us to dwell!

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:23)

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ ” (Luke 2:10-12)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Praise God for the gift of His Son!

sincerely, Grace Day

“Joy to the world! the Lord is come; let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room . . . ” – those are the words of the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World”, written by Isaac Watts in 1719. It’s still one of my favorite Christmas hymns today. Interesting in the opening lines of the hymn, Watts is talking about receiving and preparing. Seems to me, that’s what Advent is all about – preparing, preparing to receive the King of kings and Lord of lords.

People didn’t do a very good job of either one of these at Jesus’s first Advent. They were unprepared and consequently, unable to receive Him properly.

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

They had not prepared a place for Him, a place in which to receive Him. They had not made any room for Jesus at all. Luke makes that clear when he says –

“and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 1:7, italics mine)

I wonder why? Why was there no room? Why were they so uninformed about His arrival and therefore so unprepared to receive the Christ child? Their own scriptures and prophets had been talking about the coming of a Messiah for centuries. The Jewish people knew these prophesies by heart. Were they simply so busy living their everyday lives that they couldn’t take time out to prepare a place, to make a space, for the King of kings and Lord of lords to enter in? (sound familiar?)

You know what’s really ironic? We (humankind) couldn’t be bothered to prepare a suitable space in which to receive God’s only Son BUT – in a dramatic plot twist, this is exactly what God’s only Son, Jesus, is doing for you and for me right now. He’s preparing a place for us, even as I write these words! Jesus, Himself, said as much very clearly to His disciples while He was still with them. Jesus told them –

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

These words of Jesus give me great comfort, great joy of anticipation, perfect peace and hope – so much hope! I have something to look forward to that is a certainty because the words of Jesus are true. We may have had “no room in the inn” for Jesus when He came to live with us for awhile, but Jesus has a room, a special place, for each one of us that He is preparing personally Himself even now in anticipation of our arrival. Jesus didn’t receive a proper welcome into our world, no celebration, no fanfare – but you and I are going to receive a warm welcome, complete with celebration and rejoicing, into His kingdom.

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)

Jesus is creating space for me and space for you so that we can be with Him for eternity. Which begs the question – am I reciprocating? Am I creating space today for Jesus to enter in and abide with me? Or is my daily life too crowded? Am I too busy? Is my day so filled with other things that there’s no room in my life (in my inn) for Jesus? Are my affections so firmly fixed on other things that there’s nothing left of my heart for my Savior? Has all my love been allocated elsewhere?

These are the hard questions I need to answer if I am to adequately prepare for Advent – if I am to be ready for the arrival of my Savior King. I am going to have to clear some space in my calendar, in my heart and in my life to make way for the coming of the King. That’s what Advent is all about – preparing for the arrival, of the long-awaited Redeemer – the One God promised to mankind so long ago. We kind of missed Jesus’s first appearance, but we definitely won’t miss His second appearance, His second Advent, when He returns to earth to complete God’s rescue of us, His dearly loved children. His second Advent will be inescapable. It is described in this way –

“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” (Mark 13:26-27)

No chance of that going unnoticed! But while we wait for this second Advent of Christ, we continue to celebrate His first Advent annually. We celebrate the day of His birth every year at Christmas, recalling the miraculous circumstances surrounding His birth including angels visiting Mary, Joseph, shepherds and wisemen, a special star in the sky, and angels rejoicing while the earth relegated the Christ child to a manger in a stable in a remote village called Bethlehem.

We need this celebration of Christmas to remind us just how much God loves each one of us. We need to remember to what lengths our Heavenly Father went to provide us a lifeline that would restore our broken relationship with Him. Just how far Jesus had to go to rescue us is described in Philippians –

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)

The first Advent is about the baby, the second is about the conquering King. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, I will do like the Christmas carol says and let my heart prepare Him room today and every day. I will prepare a place and let the Christ child, the newborn King in. It’s time!

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

let Him in! His Advent is upon us!

sincerely, Grace Day

Today I turned my calendar to December and my thoughts toward Christmas. Time to put away my pumpkins and bring out nativity scenes and Santas. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to me. I’ve had plenty of reminders that it’s time to prepare for Christmas. On my street and in my neighborhood, Christmas lights have been on for a while now – so long in fact that these lights would find themselves competing with the Halloween lights on neighboring houses if said Christmas lights dared to appear any earlier than they already do.

This is why I call Thanksgiving the overlooked holiday – we go from Halloween decor straight to Christmas decor without a pause for the fabulous food holiday that is Thanksgiving. Or maybe we are just basically ungrateful because we don’t take the time to stop, count our many blessings and give God thanks for His enduring love and ever-present mercy.

But now that I am focused on Christmas, I can’t help but feel I am already behind since other homes appear to be better prepared for the season than I am at present. I love this season of Advent. It is a season of anticipation and of preparation and of hope. I am anticipating the arrival of the Christ child and I am (or should be) about the business of preparing to receive this long-awaited child.

Jesus’s first advent wasn’t exactly what those living at that time were expecting. In fact, they were caught completely off guard, totally unprepared to receive God’s gift to them. Had they stopped looking? Had they given up on God and on His promise to them that He would send them a Redeemer? Had they forgotten the prophesies of their own scripture or did they simply no longer believe it would ever come true? It had been too long. God had been too silent. Enter the Messiah. We read this account in John –

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:10-11)

Furthermore, not only did they not recognize Him, their desperately desired Messiah, they were too busy to make room for Him physically, which is probably why Jesus ended up being born in a stable. Luke tells us how it came about.

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4-7)

No room for God’s only Son? No room for the One described this way in Isaiah?

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

They were unable to make room for Jesus in their inns, in their homes, in their synagogues, in their lives and in their hearts. I wonder, are you and I any different today?

Jesus’s birth had been prophesied for centuries but when “the time was right” and Jesus “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” no one (well hardly anyone except the shepherds, but an angel had to tell them about it and give them directions to where Jesus was) but basically no one noticed, no one welcomed Him, no one celebrated His birth (except the heavenly hosts who put on quite a concert) and no one prepared a place for Him to be received. The long-awaited Savior King came into the world and the world went on as if nothing had happened.

BUT – Advent says this life changing, earth shattering, totally miraculous event of Jesus’s birth shall not go unheralded, unnoticed, uncelebrated ever again. The weather here hinted at Advent’s nearness – it’s been snowing as I’ve been writing this. My Christmas cactus, which has been green for eleven months, today is suddenly red with buds waiting to open at the proper time. How does my cactus know it’s time to get ready for the birthday celebration?

I want to be prepared for the coming of my Savior King. I want to prepare a place for Him not just in my home but in my heart. I’ve got some cleaning to do, some rearranging of priorities. There is so much more to say about this wonderful miracle that took place when God came to earth to live among us – an event described like this –

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:23)

Yes, there will be more to say as the days of Advent continue, but for now, I need to be about the business of getting ready for the coming of my King. I want to prepare the way for His coming and I join with the Psalmist in saying –

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty -He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

let Him in!

sincerely, Grace Day