For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

– Isaiah 9:6

I love Christmas. The lights and music . . . the decorations and gifts . . . the baking and shopping . . . Santa and his elves . . . I love it all. But if you take all of that away, the reason I really love Christmas is still there. The celebration of a Savior . . . my Savior . . . God come to earth as a babe to grow into a man who would die on a cross to save me from my sins . . .

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. – Matthew 1:21

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1: 14

It’s highly unlikely Jesus was born in December. We don’t know exactly when He was born. Some theologians say spring while others say fall . . . most are pretty adamant it wasn’t in December.

That first Christmas did not take place in a well-appointed home with beautiful decor, and the guests were not finely dressed in their holiday best. Rather than beautiful decorations, He was surrounded by animals in a barn . . . a feeding trough His first bed. No fanfare and red carpets . . . the humblest of beginnings. The guests, the shepherds, that came to celebrate His arrival were the poorest and lowest in society. Yet they came in awe and wonder to celebrate a baby that came to save all.

Yes, I love Christmas. And I love to celebrate all it brings, but I’m also careful to keep at the forefront the reason why we celebrate. “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. Wherever you find yourself this Christmas, however it may look, I pray that you will know the beautiful, infinite, and unconditional love of a God that knew that we could never be good enough to reach Him, so He was more than willing to leave His throne, to come to earth, to live and die for us. These words from Isaiah aren’t just cliché . . . overused and hollow . . . they are exactly the opposite. He truly is Wonderful . . . you will never find a Counselor more understanding or that can bring such deep and complete healing . . . there is no God mightier than the One, True God . . . no Father more loving than our Heavenly Father . . . and on this day and every day, in a world that is chasing after so many things that do not bring even a modicum of happiness, there is a peace found in Jesus that cannot be found anywhere else.

I pray that today in the middle of all the busy-ness or the quiet, surrounded by loved ones or alone, whatever this day brings, you find the everlasting peace that can only come from the Prince of Peace. He’s no longer a babe in a manger. He’s the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He sits at the right hand of the Father. And He desires, more than anything, a personal relationship with you.

Merry Christmas!