It's Christmas - Devotions from MandisaSample

“Christmas Makes Me Cry”

For a Christian, “the most wonderful time of the year” refers to the most wonderful time in history and eternity: the birth of our savior. Because of this crucial event, Christmas evokes in us a sense of awe at the wonder of God becoming flesh and lying in a manger. It also evokes in us a feeling of hope at the promise of what that manger means for our lives today. 

When we first view the manger, we stand in awe.

I’m amazed by how much God thinks we are worth
That He would send His only Son to die
And sometimes Christmas makes me cry

What lies in the manger is God in flesh—a concept nearly impossible for our human minds to grasp, but eventually we begin to understand that as we gaze upon this child, we are gazing upon God. That is when the awe sets in. That He could love us so much to come down to us, so far below his throne, and live with us is a wonder that will never cease to amaze.

As we stand in awe of the manger, we are filled with hope for our future. 

‘Cause love can reach out into a silent night

Love entered the world on a silent night. This is the Good News. As the angel told the shepherds, “‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” (Luke 2:10-12). They believed the angel and went to find Jesus. After they did, “they returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20). 

The manger is the ultimate symbol of hope. A broken world so desperately in need of love received it and the shepherds felt joy that night like we still do this Christmas. Jesus’ arrival meant peace had come. It meant forgiveness and atonement had come. His life meant we had life also. 

Christmas marks the day grace arrived on earth. Grace has not stopped arriving; it is the year-round gift. We look at this gift baffled and in awe that it is ours to keep, and we carry it with us everywhere as our greatest hope.