Christmas! It’s amazing how one word can bring back so many memories. For some it brings back memories of snow, trees, and the cold. For myself, it brings back memories of sun, sand, swimming, and BBQ’s! I spent most of my childhood and adult life living in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, on a tiny island nation called Samoa. There isn’t much snow and cold there at any time of the year, especially at Christmas time.
Christmas also causes me to remember faith, family, fellowship and food. Lots and lots of food!
Now as I was reading Isaiah 9:6 and thinking about Christmas there were some things that stood out to me: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”.
1. Christmas reminds us that God is with us.
Relationship is so important! God sent His son into the world as “Emmanuel, God with us”. The Holy Spirit is with and in us now, continuing to comfort and guide us. No matter what we face, He is our Wonderful Counsellor.
2. Christmas reminds us that God still does the supernatural.
The Christmas story is full of the SUPERNATURAL — From when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, to her believing what he said could be so, to the conception, and to the virgin giving birth to the Lord Jesus, and on and on.
Are we expecting for God to go beyond what is “normal“ and do the supernatural in our lives? Do we believe that God can still do miracles in this day and age? Let Christmas remind you that God is still involved in working the supernatural in the lives of people.
Do you need physical healing, or financial provision, or a relationship turnaround, etc. and you can’t see how it can happen in the natural? Christmas reminds us that God still does the “supernatural“. He is the Mighty God.
3. Christmas reminds us that GOD LOVES YOU!
His love is the reason why He supernaturally gave the best that He possibly could. It’s why He gave us Jesus! John 3:16 says that, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. 1 John 3:1 says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God”. Through receiving this gift of His Son, we too become God’s children.
GOD LOVES YOU! That is not meant to just be a factual piece of information that you have in your head. It’s meant to be a truth that is deep in your spirit and will never be lost to you! He is the Everlasting Father.
4. Christmas reminds us of “New Beginnings”.
Jesus was sent to give all of mankind a “new beginning“. That new beginning was to cleanse us from our sin, and to give us eternal life with God.
Once there was a time when we had absolutely no hope for the future, yet God turned that hopeless situation into a brand-new beginning for us all. God specializes in turning completely hopeless situations around for the good. I’ve seen him do this so many times in my life and I know that He will do it for you as well! In situations that seem broken, He brings wholeness. He is our Prince of Peace.
So this Christmas season, remember Who it is we come to worship and adore. He is our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
*All Scripture references are in the English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK).