A Different Christmas
“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
It’s Christmas 2020. It didn’t look anything like a Christmas in the past.
It’s not our first Christmas where we didn’t travel home to see family, so we can’t blame it on the pandemic like everything else this year. But there is no Christmas tree up. No smell of a Christmas meal in the air. I did manage to get the wreath on the door yesterday—amen for low hanging fruit.
We’ve been busy preparing for the arrival of my mother next week. She’ll be moving in with us so we can be caregivers as she enters into a new season of being on dialysis. Thankfully, the social worker at her dialysis center says she is still very ambulatory and independent. She can still cook and care for herself, and even drive. But she’s not the best at seeing all of her doctors. And merely being alone in this season of her life where she has fallen in her home isn’t wise.
So instead of putting up Christmas trees and lights, we’ve moved around furniture and assembled a bed to make room in our condo for her. Boxes with a dresser and bookshelf arrived yesterday, waiting for assembly next.
Today, as I sat at my dining table to have my quiet time, I wanted to read about the birth of Jesus, documented in Matthew and Luke’s gospels. My husband and I typically have our quiet times independently, but this Christmas, he pulled up a seat next to mine to read from the same bible. We chose to read Luke 1:26 - 2:38. This passage covered the foretelling of Jesus’s birth to the presentation of Jesus in the temple. He read the left page. I read the right. My highlighter remained ready to capture all the verses that resonated with me.
After reading, we both reflected on what the Spirit spoke to us. Among his reflections, he dove into the prophecy of Simeon in Luke 2. Simeon prophesied that some would oppose Jesus, so my husband was grateful that he could respond to the gift of Jesus. He knew that Jesus was the difference-maker in his life. As he continued to connect with Scripture, he proclaimed, “Jesus IS salvation!” The statement felt so profound. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it stated so succinctly. It immediately reminded me of a passage in Matthew:
“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (NLT)
My bible footnotes document that Jesus means the Lord saves. Let that marinate in your heart for a moment. Jesus was sent to this world to be our salvation—to save us from our sin. He is the only gift we need.
While we love having a Christmas tree up, admiring the lights that shine in the darkness, this time in the Word of God and prayer with my husband was the best moment of this holiday season. Not having all the “stuff” of Christmas allowed us to focus on the hope of Jesus.
Prayer Starter
Father, we thank you for Jesus. We thank you for seeing that we could not pay the wages for our sin on our own, so you graciously gave us a permanent solution. Jesus is our salvation, and we pray for more moments where we can be still in your Word, letting it renew our hope and our faith in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Dig Deeper
Luke 1:30-33 NLT: “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Reflections
Jesus is salvation! What has Jesus saved you from? Give Him some praise in the comments.
