21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

23The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

I watched a Christmas special on television the other night that was all about the Christmas Carol – Silent Night.  This beloved song is known around the world and as I listened to the song, one phrase stood out:  “…all is calm, all is bright.”

The song is beautiful and paints a wonderful picture of a peaceful, serene atmosphere for the birth of Jesus.  But what was that night really like?  The Bible doesn’t specifically say that it was calm or chaotic. If you think about the obvious facts surrounding the event, I can’t imagine anything peaceful about it. 

Here is a very young pregnant girl on a trip with her new husband.  She goes into labor and there are no hospitals, no clinics, not a room of any kind available for her to have this baby.  It was her first child so she must have been scared, in pain, maybe even crying and screaming between the labor pains and pushing.  Of course, we can’t forget that the couple was in a stable full of animals that, creates its own madness.  And last, but not least, there are the cries from a newborn baby penetrating through the darkness of the night. 

No, there was nothing calm about the night that Jesus was born.  It seems to me that this night was more like a night that was messy, loud, scary, chaotic, and full of so many unknowns. 

I don’t know about you but it doesn’t sound so far-fetched as to the state of our world today.  Political unrest, a people divided like never before, so much death and sickness, futures that are full of unknowns and hearts filled with chaos, depression, sadness, and fear.  

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Since the very beginning God knew that we were in need of a Savior.  God knew that there was no way we could be holy, righteous, and reconciled to God within our own power.  So out of His amazing love, God sent His one and only Son in the most unusual manner ever imagined to man.  Jesus came to us in the lowest estate to meet us right where we are. 

We celebrate Christmas because Jesus came.  He was born to save us from our sins, to come right in the middle of our mess, doubt, fears, and chaos to live with us, abide with us, and to rescue us.

You may feel that your life is so messed up that you would never qualify for this wonderful gift of love and hope.  But guess what, that is exactly what qualifies you!  The revelation of God’s love is that He would come to us bringing us love, joy, hope, and peace through Jesus!  We have been given the greatest - most precious gift of all – Jesus, the Savior of the world.  I pray that you would know Him and experience the wonder of His love!  Merry Christmas!

p.s. As a side note, when I was almost finished with this writing, guess what Christmas carol began to play? You got it, Silent Night. Tears began to flow and I knew that once again God was making real His love for me. He will do the same for you!