Abounding Hope in a Baby

By Samantha Rodriguez

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”—Philippians 2:6–8 (NIV)

It’s Christmas Day! The morning when most children wake up before their parents and rush to the living room to see gifts under the tree. The morning when many wish for it to finally snow in South Florida! The morning when families and friends come together to celebrate peace and joy in the world.

Yet, this is not how Christmas morning goes for everyone. Sometimes, this morning is filled with grief, tragedy, or dread—that’s okay, too. These temporary traditions and hallmark moments should not solely characterize Christmas morning. Christmas morning is a day for us to reimagine what it was like to be there when Jesus was born!

We can think about the anticipation of Mary and Joseph as she struggled to give birth. We can imagine the excitement of the shepherds who ran to see this baby the angels had prophesied to them about. We can feel the awe and wonder of the angels who finally saw the first step of God’s magnificent plan come to be, just like our Scripture for today describes. This morning began the incredible story of Jesus’ life on Earth as our divine Savior! Try meditating on these things today, and allow the Holy Spirit to change your perspective on why we can have joy and peace on Christmas day.

God loves us and demonstrated it through Jesus’ sacrifice.

In 1 John 4:9 (NIV), we read, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” The reason Jesus willingly humbled Himself for our sake was because of God’s great love for us! How beautiful is that?!

We now get to be reborn and renewed.

Jesus didn’t just live a perfect life. He also died and was resurrected as the final and perfect sacrifice for all our sins. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can be reborn and renewed when we put our faith in Him! This means we’re adopted into the family of God forever, and we become a “new creation” without the stains of sin permanently marking us.

We have the hope of eternal life.

This rebirth and renewal is not only a beautiful hope we get to stand in every day, but it’s also a hope for the future as well. As we live our lives with the purpose of worshiping God and getting others to know and worship Him, we also live our lives with the hope of one day spending eternity in the presence of our holy and glorious Father.

This is why we can wake up with joy and peace on Christmas morning! The good news of Jesus being born reminds us of the rest of His story and how this story changes our lives.

Pause: Have you allowed this story to settle in your heart this Christmas morning? Are you approaching Christmas day with a heart of worship and gratitude for Christ?

Practice: Read the Christmas story again today. Spend time thanking God for Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, and worship Him in song as well!

Pray: Jesus, happy birthday! Thank You so much for being willing to humbly live life here on Earth as a human being, starting as a helpless baby. Your sacrifice means the world to me because it truly changed everything. I can have a personal relationship with my Creator because I’ve been rescued from the chains of sin and darkness. I praise You today and every day! May I dwell on You and share You with those around me on this special day. Amen.