Christmas Day
December 25
Christmas Day
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders."
— Isaiah 9:6
Today's Story
Christmas is the Christian celebration of the most extraordinary event in human history: the eternal God, through whom all things were made, entering His own creation in the form of a human child. The Creator, become creature. The infinite, become finite. The immortal, vulnerable to death. G.K. Chesterton described it: 'The Christmas story is not the story of a king visiting the poor; it is the story of the Creator entering the raw material of creation. It is not condescension from far; it is the most extreme imaginable proximity — God, as a baby, in the arms of His own creature, in the conditions of those He came to save.' This is the Christmas mystery: to us a child is born, to us a Son is given.
Reflection
Isaiah 9:6's 'to us' is the personalizing phrase that makes Christmas not a historical commemoration but a present gift. Not 'a child was born' (remote, past, historical) but 'to us a child is born, to us a son is given' (present, personal, continuing). The gift is given to you, today, on this day. The child of Bethlehem is the Son who is given to you specifically. Everything that He is — Wonderful Counselor for your confusion, Mighty God for your weakness, Everlasting Father for your longing for belonging, Prince of Peace for your inner war — is given to you. On this Christmas Day, receive the gift. He is given to you.
Today's Prayer
Father, I receive the gift You give on this Christmas Day — Your Son, given for me. Every name He carries is what I need. Thank You for the most extraordinary gift in all of history. He is born. He is given. He is mine. Amen.
Sign in to track your devotional reading and build your streak.
Sign in with Google