“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
What greater sign than this which Isaiah proclaims today, the sign that God sent his only Son to save his people. There is no greater gift than this, the gift of eternal salvation. As I remind parents during baptism, faith – what one receives at baptism – is the greatest gift, the most valuable gift that any parent can give to their children; put it this way, it’s the greatest inheritance that any parent can give to their children. Yes, greater than any Christmas gift wrapped in a bow or greater than money, a car, or a house, the gift of faith opens the door to one’s relationship with Jesus Christ – the Savior which the Father send to save us all. All else fails or even disappears, but one’s relationship with Christ is for eternity; even when we waiver, Christ remains faithful.
For the last few weeks, we’ve been preparing the arrival of God’s gift in the manager, the reminder of the event that took place thousands of years ago in a small, run-down stable in Bethlehem. This has been a preparation which has focused on the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love, all the things that are finally revealed incarnate on Christmas Day. More than notions, beliefs, feelings, or intangible things that can seem distant, vague, or even unquantifiable, hope, peace, joy, and love are finally given form in Jesus Christ. They finally become concrete; moreover, they become something of flesh and blood in Jesus Christ. You see, it’s Jesus who not only embodies God’s hope, peace, joy, and love, it’s Christ who put them into practice. It’s Christ who not only shares them with others; it’s Christ who encourages his disciples to be his hope, peace, joy, and love to others in the world. It’s Christ who through baptism also makes us incarnate vessels of his hope, peace, joy, and love – an act which began when Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day. Let us then give thanks for the gift of Jesus Christ in our lives and the gift that He has made us for one another. Merry Christmas everyone!
In Christ
Fr Robert