Signs of Christmas

It’s Getting to Look Like Christmas!

What signs of Christmas do you eagerly anticipate each year? Is it the hustle and bustle of festivities, parties, tasty treats, baking, and family feasts? Is it the sign of decorated yule trees, garland, and wreaths? The lights and colorful decorations? The seasonal change bringing snow and beautiful scenery? Do you plan a trip to enjoy winter snow, skiing, and cozy gatherings with cocoa and cookies around a blazing fire? Are you captivated by the Christmas spirit—love, joy, peace, and hope—in classic stories and films? Do the signs of Christmas songs, plays, special displays, and crafts galore heighten anticipation of the most favored sign of all, gift exchange with those you love and want to bless? These are all engaging, fun, and beloved Christmas traditions we enjoy and remember fondly from year to year. Yet there are far more significant signs of Christmas ordained by God for our redemption.

The Virgin Birth

At the birth of Jesus there were many signs demonstrating His Messianic identity. The first was the fulfillment of the prophecy by Isaiah that a virgin would birth a child: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 Matthew records the fulfillment as an angel appears to Mary: “…God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you… Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end… The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Matthew 1: 26-35

Immanuel, God with Us – Hinge of History

Jesus had many names in prophecy representing His identity and character. As Immanuel, He is God with us. That God sent His only begotten Son, with Him from the beginning, present at creation, and destined to rule over all humans and the created universe, is a miraculous sign of His redemptive love. That it took two thousand years after God’s covenant with Abraham to happen is a mystery only God knows. Yet, the birth of Christ marked the hinge of earthly history signified by the calendar change from Before Christ (BC) to Anno Domini (AD), in the year of our Lord.

Lamb of God Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes

While destined for kingship as many Messianic prophecies foretold, Jesus arrived as a babe in the humblest of circumstances fulfilling another prophetic sign: “And this shall be a sign unto you, said the leader of the angelic host; ‘You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 The angelic host proclaimed His arrival to shepherds in the hills of Bethlehem who were amazed that they would be first to hear of Jesus birth: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (verse 11) As anticipation replaced their fear, the shepherds left their flock and hurriedly went into Bethlehem to find Jesus with a bright star guiding them to the stable.

Indeed, the baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes just as newborn lambs from the fields. Unblemished lambs from Bethlehem were destined for sacrifice at the Temple. The symbolism of this sign foreshadowed the purpose of Jesus’ birth as a human yet fully God, who would become the final sacrifice for the sins of all generations. (Hebrews 10:1-18)

Hearts Revealed for Eternity

It was the Jewish tradition to take newborn babies to the temple to be blessed on the eighth day after birth. So, Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus journeyed from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Upon seeing Jesus, the aged prophet Simeon declared: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against… that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 3:34-35

Jesus was a sign to Israel and the world. What might one discover within each individual’s heart? Whether or not they receive Jesus as Savior, rising to be born again spiritually and after physical death live in heaven for eternity; or whether they reject Jesus and remain in their sin, falling in separation from God for eternity. This is the sobering reality of the birth of Jesus, the Lamb of God, Savior of the world.

Jesus’ birth, a miracle of miracles, fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament Messianic prophecies. The events, signs and wonders of His ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension also fulfilled many prophecies, confirming His divinity and guaranteeing that His foretold Second Coming will occur. (John 20, Matthew 24, II Thessalonians 2, Revelation 19:11-21, 22)

Secular Signs Surpassed

Those unaware of the prophetic and true signs of Christmas still love to participate in the secular and commercial signs of the holiday. This superficial understanding masks the significance of Christmas. Some individuals take offense to Christmas and attempt to cancel or devalue its true meaning. “Happy holidays,” they proclaim. Songs celebrating Jesus’ birth are drown out by popular tunes like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town;” nativity scenes are outshined by secular decorations; and the story of Christmas supplanted by human-focused tales with shallow plots.

Do you and your family celebrate the true meaning of Christmas? Do you share the love of God who sent His only Son for our redemption, the joy of salvation through Him only, the peace promised through His Holy Spirit who indwells us, and the hope we have as children of God redeemed in this life and throughout eternity? Or do you succumb to the snow globe comfort zone embracing an imaginary scene? No creative story nor song compares to the redemptive power of Jesus birth. No light display shines as brightly as the “Light of the world” who canceled the darkness of the human fall. No human sacrifice, regardless of how heroic, compares to the sacrifice of the Son of Man, Savior of the world.

Sacred Signs Empower

Anne Graham Lotz in The Vision of His Glory shares how the timely Revelation of Jesus Christ not only prophesies end time events, but reveals the seven-fold identity of Jesus: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12 Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice on a Roman cross for the salvation of all who receive His grace. (John 1:14, 17, John 20:22, 30-31)

John the Apostle imprisoned on Patmos delivered his vision to seven churches, many of which lacked faith, misplaced worship, and compromised their testimony. Today’s churches mirror the apostasy of these first century churches; to boldly testify of Jesus in a world dominated by tyranny and terrorism churches must return to their first love, resist secular culture and anti-Judeo-Christian ideologies, and seek revival of faith anchored in a Biblical worldview. The reveler John assures Christ’s Bride, the church, of victory when Jesus conquers Babylon the Great and Anti-Christ, binds the Dragon Satan in the pit, and judges all who reject Him! (Revelation 20:6, 21:1-4, 22:1-5)

Share & Receive the Greatest Gift

What signs will you embrace to celebrate Christmas? As you exchange gifts with those you love, celebrate the greatest gift of all. Make Jesus the center of your Christmas and share the love, joy, peace and hope you have in Him.

If you have not yet embraced the true meaning of Christmas, take to heart the Biblical signs of Christmas: the humble Son of God born to a virgin, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, the priest’s proclamation that Jesus’ redemption shall divine the heart of every person who either rises with Him or falls for eternity. Reflect on this moving dramatization of the miraculous signs of Christmas: Born in Bethlehem.

This Christmas celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ child, redemptive Lamb, Prince of peace, Lord of lords, and King of kings, and receive His gift of salvation.
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By Sheryl Dawson
Christmas 2024
www.CelebratingChrist.com