The First Step

Isaiah said:

On that day it will be said,
“Look, this is our God;
we have waited for Him, and He has saved us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for Him.
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)

While Isaiah was speaking about the second advent rather than the first, certainly there is an application for what we celebrate at Christmas.

“Look, this is our God.” It is vital that we recognize it is God Himself who comes to redeem those He has created. The manger is the first step in His journey to the Cross where He will give His life a ransom to destroy the curse of sin and death. He has come and we are saved by the sacrifice of His life for ours. We must see in the manger the shadow of the Cross.

 “This is our Lord.” Discovering His Lordship in our life brings to fruition that multitude of blessings and gifts given – joy, peace, hope and llove – which are the result of growth toward obedience.

It is time to rejoice – in the manger, the grace the Father promised that provides salvation through faith, and in Christ’s ministry, the humble obedience that prefigures the lives we are designed to live.