“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 NASB

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When I was 12, I scraped together every cent to purchase a small, discounted, used motorcycle. What a buy! My internal mechanic ripped it apart in order to rebuild it. Following a month’s work, one late Saturday afternoon I put it back together and blazed a trail down the road. For 300 yards it was phenomenal. With wind in my hair, I was flying free as a bird. But a loud pop stopped everything. After coasting to the curb, I looked at the motor casing. My fears were confirmed. I saw a gigantic hole in the engine. The engine had thrown a rod, and it was ruined.

Dejected, I pushed the cycle back to my house through tears.

My father saw the entire event happen. Unbeknown to me, he jumped on the phone to look for a replacement engine. Somehow in that late hour of the evening, he found a shop that would stay open for our purchase. Not telling me where we were going, we headed out to “see something” on the other side of town.

Upon arrival at the small-engine retailer, I was shocked. Assuming we were there to look at an engine, I whispered, “Dad. I have no money. I can’t buy anything. I’m broke. And even if you loan it to me, I could never earn that much to repay it.” I will never forget his response.

He winked and said, “I got ya covered.” And there it was. A real-live picture of grace. Undeserved. Unmerited. A purchase I could never make. A payment I could never repay.

That’s the story of Christmas, isn’t it? As the angel said, “call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). There it is. He paid the price for our sin. The babe in a manger is our gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). Unmerited. Undeserved. We simply trust in His completed work that started in the cradle, and led to the cross.

Revel in it. But don’t just sit there. Strap on your new motor. Ride with the wind in your hair.

You’re free as a bird.

Grace.