The Day Has Come!

Christmas Day! The culmination of weeks, if not months of preparation, anticipation and excitement. I know our house this morning will be full of joy and noise as our children wake to celebrate the birth of Jesus with presents, food, family and fun, after months of the excitement building.

For me, as a parent, it marks the end of a period of seemingly endless preparation and busyness. From the making of the Christmas cake in October, the present buying, wrapping and sending, the decorating of the house and tree, the abundance of baking and cooking, and seemingly endless card writing, to this moment when it all comes together to make the (hopefully) perfect family day.

The original Christmas Day was also the culmination of great preparation and anticipation. The Father had set the scene for this day right from the outset, when, in Genesis 3:15, He said to the serpent, ‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel’. Right there and then, God had the plan in place for this day to come to pass, a day when the Saviour of mankind would be born.

As we go through Scripture, we read of the many prophecies of the Messiah to come. Father God had it all in hand, in His time and in His way.

As we celebrate Christmas Day in our home this year and I rejoice in the joy that it brings to my children, I can sit back and know that all that preparation has accomplished its purpose. I do wonder if God felt a little like that about the first Christmas Day; years of preparation, anticipating and breeding excitement into His children for the promise of what is to come finally draws to an end in a dirty stable – His time and His way. Indeed, we know there was a mighty spiritual celebration on that day as a vast host of angels joined the shepherds singing, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests’ (Luke 2:14).

As we rejoice today, may we know we’re rejoicing with Father God, who ordained one day in the history of the world for the Messiah to be born. Yes, I think He was excited that finally the day had come!

Prayer: Father God, I do believe You were excited on that first Christmas Day when all the years of preparation culminated in Jesus being born into this world, in Your time and in Your way. As we celebrate today, may we rejoice with You that You have saved us and that the gift or Your Son will stand for eternity. Amen.