Tag Archives: anticipating Christmas

December 11, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Emmanuel

Around Christmas time, I remember an old song we used to sing at church by Don Moen. “Emmanuel. Emmanuel. His name is called Emmanuel. Emmanuel. God with us. Revealed in us. His name is Emmanuel.” Simple, yet powerful as it reminds us of God’s plan to save the world. I thought about the meaning of it the other night when we, as a family, sat down, looked at our nativity and talked through all the people in it. By doing this activity, we each gained more insight and perspective into what has become a common Christmas symbol, but is truly the greatest display of love the world has ever seen.

Since the Garden of Eden, sin had reigned on the earth. It brought death and decay with it. Man had no ability to conquer it. When God looked on our helpless estate, He didn’t condemn us to an eternity In hell. Rather, He displayed His love by sending His one and only Son into the world, not to condemn it, but that through Him the world might be saved (John 3:16-17). He became one of us in order to reach us, to break the curse of sin and to end its rule. If you remember, while He was in the tomb, He took the keys of death, hell and the grace removing its power over our lives. He ushered in a wave of grace to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.

Romans 8:3 says, “Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin” (TPT). Jesus, coming to earth as depicted in the manger scene, is God reaching out, identifying with us and ultimately sacrificing Himself so we could be together. Emmanuel is a powerful word that concisely tells the story of Christmas. You are loved immensely by your creator. He didn’t come to condemn you. He came to save you because there is no way to save yourself.

Photo by Jon Carlson on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

The Miracle Of Christmas

Every year as we move into the season of Christmas, I find myself thinking about the shepherds, who were in the field, and the town of Bethlehem. Shepherds didn’t command respect the way that the religious leaders did. They didn’t hold influence on others, yet God chose them to be the first ones to hear the announcement of Jesus’s birth. They were treated as significant by God even though they were lowly. They were given a front row seat to God’s greatest gift to mankind, while being overlooked by society. God chose people who felt unseen to see the newborn King. I believe God still does that today. He is drawn to those who draw near to Him regardless of position, title or social standing.

For the same reasons, I believe God chose Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf” (NLT). Bethlehem felt small and insignificant to Jerusalem, yet God chose this city whose name means “House of Bread” to give us the Bread of life. It’s the city where Ruth gleaned in the fields. It’s home to the fields where David watched his father’s sheep. It’s the place the whole world now remembers at Christmas and sings songs about. Bethlehem didn’t have a palace or even room for Mary and Joseph to give birth in. Yet God proved once again that He will miraculously encounter those who do make room for Him, even if it feels you are as insignificant as a stable.

My favorite verse in all of this is Matthew 1:23. “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” God with US. God with YOU. He came into this world to be involved in your life, to reveal Himself to you and to let you know you are His greatest creation. Don’t deflect and say He’s here for others or that other people are more significant in the Kingdom than you. He will create divine encounters with anyone who makes room for Him, no matter how insignificant they feel. To me, this is the miracle of salvation that shows the heart of God who desperately wants you to know you matter to Him. That’s the miracle of Christmas.

Image by Google Gemini

Anticipating The Savior

Do you remember how excited you were for Christmas when you were a kid? Did you shake the presents under the tree trying to guess what they were? Maybe you had an Advent calendar that counted down the days to Christmas. There was something special about this time of year when I was a child. There still is, but so many of us have lost it and are looking for it again.

I think I’ve figured out where it went. When you were a kid, you didn’t have to go into the attic to get the tree and the decorations out. You weren’t the one who had to put them all up. You didn’t have to fight for parking at the mall or stand in long lines to buy one gift. You didn’t have to stress about a budget or the food that you were going to have to prepare. In having to deal with all of this, many of us quit anticipating Christmas and started dreading it.

When Jesus was eight days old, he was taken to the temple to be dedicated to God. Luke 2:25 says, “At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” (NLT). I can I shine Simeon each day, waiting in the temple, with the same anticipation that a child has for Christmas. He fulfilled his responsibilities daily, but he was still actively looking for and anticipating the Messiah.

If you find yourself looking for the magic of Christmas this year, go back to what it’s all about – anticipating the savior of the world. Even as we celebrate the first arrival of our savior, we need to be anticipating His return. Many of us spend a lifetime thinking, discussing and debating His first visit without anticipating His second coming. Just like Simeon, we need to keep an eye out for Jesus. We still have work to do, but there’s joy in the anticipation of a savior coming soon if you’re doing everything you’re supposed to do.

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

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Tagged as advent, anticipating Christmas, christian living, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas magic, Devotion, Devotional, encouragement, Jesus is returning, rapture, recapturing the spirit of Christmas, return of Christ, second coming, where is the joy of Christmas