Regarding Sons and Christmas...

I promised a serious post soon and have already stretched the definition of "soon" a bit. Before beginning our round of holiday travel, I am finally posting something new, at least. I trust that you will have a blessed Christmas with family and friends. It has been a hard season for us as we grieve with dear friends whose 20- year- old son died this year but God is gracious and brings joy amidst the sadness as we worship Him.

Our pastor made a comment last week regarding the commonly heard phrase, "Jesus is the reason for the season." Though not original with him, the point made was that it would be more accurate to say "I am the reason for the season." This doesn't seem quite right to many people when they first hear it, but ultimately, I believe it is accurate. After all, the incarnation of Christ was a portion of God's provision for my inability to do anything on my own to overcome my sin and depravity. If I were not a sinner, there would have been no need for Jesus to be born to a virgin in Bethlehem and, ultimately, no biblical reason for a season of remembrance and celebration of this great gift.

As I contemplate our celebration of Christmas, a very different portion of scripture came to mind than is typical. I tend to spend time during this season reading the gospel accounts of the life of Christ or Old Testament prophecies of his birth . However, I’d like to share a passage from Zechariah today. The ESV is packed already since we travel tomorrow so it will be shared from my NASB.

"In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. 2 "And it will come about in that day," declares the Lord of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 "And it will come about that if anyone still prophesies, then this father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ' You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD' and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. 4 "Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive; 5 but he will say, 'I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man sold me as a slave in my youth.' 6 "And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will say, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.' 7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,' Declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. 8 "And it will come about in all the land,' Declares the LORD. "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. 9 "And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, "The LORD is my God.' " - Zechariah 13

I am thankful this Christmas season that I can say "The LORD is my God" because of the gift of the son whose birth we remember and whose death and resurrection give us life and hope.