The Spirit of Anticipation

Carolina Hermida

Bible Teacher

Minister in Tlaxcala

It is unbelievable how during the month of December every shopping mall is filled with lights, colors, and Christmas music. Not too long ago I watched a video on social media about how they celebrate Christmas in Japan (with dinners and Christmas decorations), even if it is a country that does not believe in Christ. Christmas is about Christ, and society celebrates without Him. What a contradiction! Don’t you think?

We have to be careful, dear sisters, that as believers we do not forget Christ during this celebration, and even more importantly, do not forget Christ in our day to day.

The Old Testament has lots of passages that point toward Jesus. Some are more direct and explicit prophesies, and some are more subtle references to His life. Our Lord explained to two of his disciples that all sections of the Old Testament contained fact related to his life. 

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27

Can you imagine? Christ himself explaining what the Scriptures said about Him.

In the gospel of Matthew, the author identified many fulfilled prophesies, thirteen different times using the following phrase: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet”

Isaiah prophesied that the virgin will conceive, give birth to a boy, and call him Emmanuel, which means “God with us”.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”. Isaiah 7:14

This time is an opportunity to meditate on these wonderful truths, the beautiful promise has been fulfilled: Emmanuel “God with us”, has come, and we are recipients of His grace. This name holds the wonder of the incarnation and the unimaginable fact that the Eternal God became one of us.

The Bible continues in Isaiah 9:6 :

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”.

Jesus is a born child and he is also a given Son. Jesus came to our world as a baby even though he existed from the beginning of eternity as God, the Son of God with us. The verbs used here, “born” and “given” are consistent with his goodness and humanity respectively. 

The good news is that Jesus has been born. The four real names express his human qualities and his divine ones, reassuring us that He indeed is “Emmanuel”, God with us. 

He came voluntarily with a mission of mercy towards men. Think about this, dear sister, we must stop for a minute and think about it, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Almighty God, voluntarily and gladly came to this world to live among men, carry their sins and sacrifice himself for them.

Do you realize that? The Bible is a book that tells one story that ends with one person: Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of Christmas, the center of the celebration, the center of our meditation, and He must be the center of our lives. We do not celebrate a special date; we celebrate an event that took place and changed the course of humanity and of our lives: incarnation. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

•       Would you like to finish this year meditating on the person and work of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ?
•       Would you like to make Christ the center of your personal Bible study?
•       What makes your heart burn?

Remember that on the way to Emmaus, the disciples asked one another: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

•       How much trust and comfort should we have in our life knowing that when we go through trials God is with us (Emmanuel)?

Our God is with us every step of the way and He will guide us until we rest in peace.

Let’s celebrate together the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, the Word incarnated! Let’s be apprentices for life of the incarnated Word.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14