Rejoice, for Christ is Born

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.  -Matthew 1:18, 19 (KJV) 

Every time I read the above passage I find myself trying to grasp what Mary and Joseph were thinking and feeling as the events unfolded.  Mary, Joseph’s betrothed, was found to be with child.  God accomplished something that had never been done in the history of mankind and has never been repeated since.  He caused a young woman to be with child solely by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Scoffers and skeptics reject this outright, but believers who by faith accept that with God all things are possible receive it as true.  So, how did Joseph take the news when he discovered that Mary was expecting?  Judging by his decision to quietly end the engagement, the answer is not too well. 

However, just as God had revealed His will to Mary, so did the angel pay a visit to Joseph instructing him to go ahead and take Mary for his wife, for the child conceived in her was of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20).  God’s plan of Christ coming into the world as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Redeemer, and the hope of the ages, was about to take place.  Mary and Joseph stood at the beginning of God’s wonderful plan of salvation which was about to be revealed to all of mankind.

Today, we stand on this side of these marvelous and miraculous events.  Why do we look to these occurrences as described in Scripture and hold to them as the pure and definitive Word of God?  We do so because we have found that in Jesus Christ we have hope.  Christ’s coming into the world has done as the Scripture promised and brought light to those walking in darkness (Isaiah 9:2).  Without Jesus in my life I was the one walking in the darkness of sin and hopelessness.  Jesus’ coming into the world brought the light of God’s love right to me in the most personal way imaginable.  Because of Christ, all who believe can trust in the Lord and commune with Him as friend to friend.   

Just as God revealed to Mary and Joseph that Christ’s coming was real, the Lord will also reveal this to us.  Do not look upon the birth of Jesus as a fanciful story, but rather by faith see His coming as the actual event that it is.  Sin no longer has dominion over us.  Death has been defeated. 

Rejoice, for Christ was born.  Halleluiah, Jesus Christ, our Savior, has come!