1 Peter 1:10-11
"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow."
As we celebrate the Savior this Christmas season, waiting the day of our Lord's birthday, I invite you to think back to those awaiting the Savior's birth more than 2,000 years ago.
While we look back in our celebration of Christmas, reading and studying and singing again the story of Christ's birth, those who were God-fearers before the nativity at Bethlehem could only hold to the Spirit's promise that God's anointed one was coming. And as the writer of Hebrews tells us, most of these died without ever knowing the fulfillment of this promise, and probably, most of them also didn't even understand the real nature of the gift God was giving to us.
As kids, we could hardly wait for Christmas day, dreaming of the presents under the tree, shaking them and looking through the wrapping papers, bubbling over in excitement for the joy and adventures which would soon be ours. Even as adults, most of find joy in giving and receiving gifts, but that's really not the primary story of Christmas. In fact, gifts under the tree aren't part of the story of all. We've added both the tree and gifts to the story, making them part of our celebration, and there's really nothing wrong with tradition.
Still, looking back, it is easy to see that our Lord came to bring the gift of salvation, a present filled with both sufferings and glories. The gift we unwrap from Jesus became one of suffering, as Christ tasted death in our place, a righteous man dying for the sins of all others. And God's gift was also filled with glories, with Christ revealed as Lord through the power of the resurrection, and the church brought to enjoy the glories of being a part of the family of God through new birth.
I suspect those waiting for the coming of the Messiah didn't really understand the message as the Spirit testified of coming sufferings and glories, but looking back, I can see that these presents were proved to be the greatest gift of all.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for your obedience to the Father to suffer in my place and for your church. May my life now be lived according to your glories, given to us by the presence of your Spirit. Amen.
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