Have you seen the wonder in a child's eyes as they behold the Christmas tree light up a dark room? Or when they see all the houses lit up at night? Do you have things that fill you with wonder?
It seems that as we grow older, we lose some of our wonder. We learn more about the world and our surroundings, and things that once amazed us become commonplace. The things that caused our awe and wonder as a child at Christmas dim and get replaced by our busyness.
I want to encourage you to take the time to stop and consider the wonder of the first Christmas. It had been 400 years since the Old Testament prophets spoke of the Messiah. Generations came and went waiting for this hope to be fulfilled.
And then, one dark night, Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, and “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 guest room available for them” (Luke 2:6-7 NIV).
An angel appeared to shepherds nearby and they were filled with wonder and awe: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:13-16 NIV).
Then there were the wise men: “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:9-11 NIV).
I pray that you too can rediscover the awe and wonder of what it means for Jesus to come into the world as a human baby, live a sinless life, die on the cross for our forgiveness, and rise into new life for you and me.
Let us shine with the love Jesus has for us so that others can discover the wonder of Christmas.