“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! During the Christmas season, people around the world turn their hearts toward a celebration of love, generosity, compassion and joy. However, if we are not careful, we can allow ourselves to celebrate attributes and completely miss the Man that embodied them.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. He came to earth as an infant, fulfilling every word that was written about Him hundreds of years before His birth.
This one man changed the course of history. The measure of time is literally centered around His entrance into our world (Anno Domini, AD). Anno means “in the year” and Domini means “of the Lord.” The full original phrase is Anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi, meaning “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As He sacrificed His life for mankind on the cross, He declared, “It is finished.” He completed His mission, and we can now have peace with God!
When I trust in Christ, receive Him into my life and make Him my Lord, I don’t just get a measure of love, a helping of grace or an allowance of peace. I have communion with the One Who is these things. As His child, I have full access to all that He is.
Jesus doesn’t have love to pass out; He is love. Jesus doesn’t just share truth; He is truth. He is the manifestation of these characteristics in human form.
When I settle for characteristics instead of receiving the Christ, it’s like dancing around the gifts but ignoring the Giver of all things Who is standing in the room longing to have a relationship with me. It’s like worshipping the creation instead of the Creator.
We long for peace, when the Prince of Peace is available. We want real wisdom, and the Wonderful Counselor desires to deliver it to us through Himself.
This Christmas may we all have peace with God through a relationship with Him and experience the peace of God that He showers in us and on us. By trusting in Him, may we know the kindness, faith and mercy that Jesus came to impart. By fully receiving Him into our lives, may we comprehend that He is offering all of Himself to us. For the first time, may we be so full of Him that love and grace and hope come spilling out of us, splashing onto everyone we meet. May this truly be “the most wonderful time of the year!”