My wife sent an embarrassing picture of me to my sister, who in turn sent it on to other family members. Eventually we got a response from a cousin whom I haven’t seen in years. She commented that I look like my father.
My father passed away 25 years ago, but if someone wanted to know what he looked like they need simply see me to know. If they wanted to know what kind of personality he had they could simply point to me. I am a reflection of who my father was.
We are children of our heavenly Father, but no one has seen God, the Father. We do not know if He is the familiar image of an old man with a flowing beard, or if He appears as a pillar of fire, or if He is whatever He needs to be in appearance.
But we have seen Jesus. We are familiar with the personality of Christ. We know what he valued. We know how he felt about most things. We know how much he cares about us.
John the Baptist was aware of the coming of Jesus, God in the flesh. What does John say about him? What goodness have we received? What has Jesus done?
God gave Himself as a gift in the gift of Jesus to the world. Christ is God in human form. He is God. As John describes him, Jesus is “God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side.”
Christmas is the celebration of God giving Himself to us so that we might know Him. He gave the gift of Christ as an expression of His love and grace for all mankind.
Jesus, in his love for us and in his teachings, has shown us who God is. Jesus has made God known. He has taught us the love that the eternal Father has for each of us. And Christ himself is the everlasting Father who cares for us and blesses us with his grace.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What part of Christmas reminds you of God’s eternal love?
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