Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Just the other day, I heard someone on radio say that Christmas is all about joy and gladness, etc. While it did not surprise me because I come across this thinking more often, it is still very discomforting.
Although joy and gladness should be a result of the Christmas message – as it was to the shepherds – it must be remembered that there cannot be any joy and gladness without a Savior. The “son” that Mary brought forth was and is the Son of God.
Any Christmas without Christ is not a true Christmas. The world is content to have a holiday without thinking about the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself to die for us. He had to die if we were to be redeemed because God declared that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
There were many miracles that took place around the time of Christ’s birth to reveal that He was truly the promised Child of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” One of those miracles is His Name. No religious Jew would ever refer to a human by a name that belonged to God alone. The name means “God with us.”
Yes, indeed. God did come to live among us for about 33 years and then redeemed us by His death, burial, and resurrection. Praise His Name! Now, those that know Him can know what true joy and gladness are as we remember and fellowship with Him! The fellowship is even sweeter when we can rejoice with other believers in church today!