December 18
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son…
Galatians 4:4 (NIV)
I’ll admit it…I get incredibly sentimental during the holiday season. I start listening to Christmas music in November (yes, I’m one of those people!), my wife and I watch as many holiday movies as possible after Thanksgiving, and we’ve cultivated a number of meaningful traditions with our children.
With all of this celebration, though, comes the temptation to allow the nostalgia of the season to overshadow the birth of the Savior. To help keep my focus on Christ’s First Advent beyond the holidays, I’m drawn often to the beginning of Galatians 4:4. Paul’s declaration that at the right time God sent His Son offers two critical truths that can help anchor our attention on the hope of Christ’s birth long after Christmas has come and gone.
First, we see that God keeps His promises. To the Jews living in the first century, I’m sure it may have seemed that God had forgotten them. But of course, He hadn’t. Instead, the Father chose to send His Son into the world at exactly the time He knew was best. He kept His promise, as He always has and always will. And so, especially when our circumstances look bleak and discouragement abounds, reflecting on Christ’s birth can bring us much-needed hope throughout the year as we, His people, now await His next coming.
Second, we’re reminded that God is with us. Sadly, this reality has become so familiar to us that we often fail to fully appreciate its significance. Just imagine: on the night Christ was born, God was actually there in the flesh—breathing, crying, eating—with the people He had come to redeem. After living a sinless life, He died, rose again, and was exalted at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). And from there He now offers limitless grace and mercy to His people (4:16). All of this is made possible because of what happened in Bethlehem all those years ago.
In a few weeks, most evidence of the holiday season will be gone. And, like we do with our Christmas decorations, we’ll be tempted to tuck away Christ’s birth and barely think about it until next year. Perhaps instead we can remember that the manger offers us powerful hope of a promise-keeping, ever-present God all year long.