Christmas And The Creator
Something at once profound and astounding happened more than two thousand years ago when a child was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, Judea — profound because of Who the child was, and astounding because of what He did.
Heaven declared the birth with a brilliant star shining above the place where the child lay in His manger (Matthew 2:9-10). A heavenly choir of angels sang praise to shepherds watching their flocks by night (Luke 2:8-14).
An angel gave the royal announcement —
This birth was different than all other births before or after that time. For this child was born of a virgin and His name was “Immanuel” which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
A famous talk show host once said that if he could choose one person to interview from the course of human history, he would choose to interview Jesus Christ. He said he would ask Jesus “if He was indeed virgin-born” because “the answer to that question would define history for me.” What a perceptive and insightful assessment!
For Jesus is more than a man — He is God.
John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, and an eyewitness to Jesus’ words and deeds, began his gospel telling his readers that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He continued by saying “all things came into being through Him” (John 1:3) and that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And then, as if to drive home the point, John writes that “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18).
Jesus explains God. He is God. Immanuel — God with us.
That Christmas morning more than two thousand years ago all who were present saw, in a new way, their Creator, “taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6).
- Do you want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus.
- Do you want to know what God has to say? Listen to Jesus.
- Do you want to know what God wants? Learn from Jesus.
- Do you want to know how God can forgive your sins and give you eternal life? Live in Jesus!
Receive Jesus. He gave His life for you, dying on a cross to pay for your sins, so that you might be able to live forever with Him (John 3:16). If you have never received Jesus into your life, then now is the time. Pray, Lord Jesus, I ask You to come into my life, forgive my sins, and give me eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, in later years, said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” And Jesus replied, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
And perhaps that is the very question of the moment for all of us. Have we come to know Him? Do we realize Who Jesus is? Oh, I think we are all falling on our knees in worship just about now simply contemplating the truth of Christmas and the Creator.
Knowing Jesus is the One who is your Creator (John 1:1-18), the great I AM (John 8:58), and your very life (Galatians 2:20) is encouragement enough to surrender your life to Him.
Sometimes the difficulties of life can bring us to a place of discouragement where we may grow weary and lose heart. The writer of Hebrews addressed a group of faithful believers whose fiery trial was challenging their faith. He began his letter with the same profound truth about Jesus —
One of my favorite things to do is grab my camera and go out into God’s great creation and capture images of all that I see through the lens. These myPhotoWalk images are glimpses of the glory of God. And walking with Him out in His creation helps me to remember my Creator and know that He can paint beauty and newness on the landscape of every impossible situation.
So what about you this Christmas? Do you know Jesus? How is your faith these days? Take a few moments to look beyond the simple manger to the majesty and magnificence of Immanuel — God with us.
♥ Blessings and Grace to You!
myPhotoWalk Technical
- Title: The Audience Of One
- Order Custom Prints @ myPhotoWalk — SmugMug.com
- Description: Capturing one of God’s unique and beautiful flowers at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Papaikou, Island Of Hawaii, Hawaii, USA.
- Creator: Catherine Martin
- Date Created: 05/13/12
- Camera: Nikon D7000 18.0mm-105.0mm — FL 105.0mm, ISO 250, f/5.6, 1/250sec.
- Photoshoot: my PhotoWalk at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Papaikou, Island Of Hawaii, Hawaii, USA.
- Post-Processing: Adobe Camera Raw, Adobe Photoshop, Nik Software.
- Copyright ©2017 Catherine Martin — myPhotoWalk™ — Quiet Time Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
myPhotoWalk.com — Devotional Photography
2 Peter 3:18 — Beholding His Beauty — Experiencing His Blessings — Living In His Word
Copyright © 2017 Catherine Martin — Quiet Time Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
