Christ’s Birth Should Stir Up a Little Excitement

   

The day after Thanksgiving we received the news that our seventh grandchild is on the way. This announcement had added significance since it will be the first child born to our son and his wife. While the whole family was excited about this newly-revealed information, my eighty-six-year-old mom won the prize for the best reaction. It was similar to ones you may have viewed on America’s Funniest Videos. She repeatedly screamed in delight, while throwing in a few “hallelujahs” and “praise the Lords”. At one point she made a comment along the lines of, “I wasn’t sure I’d live to see this.”

 Maybe her response and the sentiment she expressed is reminiscent of how some people might have felt about the birth of Jesus. Simeon was a devout man who had been looking for the Messiah for a long time. However, somehow the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had laid his eyes on this long-awaited Savior. So when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus into the temple for a customary ritual, Simeon realized that this was the Christ. You can hear the excitement in his proclamation as he realized his hope had been fulfilled: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Or what about Anna? She was a quite elderly lady, a prophetess, who served God at the temple. When she walked in on this scene and realized what it meant, she began to thank the Lord and spread the news to others who had been looking for the arrival of this special child. I don’t picture her as doing this quietly or calmly. I wouldn’t be surprised if she squealed with delight and loudly praised the Lord in similar fashion to my mom.

As we remember and celebrate the coming of our Savior into the world this season, let’s guard against having a matter-of-fact attitude about this special event. It’s probably not a new revelation to most of us. We’ve known about and commemorated this birth most of our lives. Nevertheless, the thought of what took place as God lovingly took on flesh in order to save us from our sins should still touch our hearts and stir our souls. We should still feel some degree of excitement, awe, and wonder at the idea of what God did for us on that unique occasion. It ought to still produce a “hallelujah” or “praise the Lord” bursting forth from our lips at times.

If we’ve lost that enthusiasm over the Incarnation then maybe we need to remind ourselves of the facts. Let’s remember how lost and hopeless we were without Christ. Let’s not forget the condemnation we were under as those who had sinned against a holy God. Let’s remember that we were on a road leading to sin and hell with no way we could get off that doomed pathway ourselves. Then our Savior came to rescue us. He took our condemnation on Himself. He made a way for us to find peace with God. He came to give us life and provide us a home in heaven.

We may not scream with joy every time we think about Jesus’ birth, but neither should we go through this season being unaffected by its truth. Let’s get a little excited about it. Joy to the World! The Lord is come! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!