Christmas is Magic

John 1:1-18 & 29

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A1-18%20&version=NIV;MSG

 

Christmas is magic. At least that’s how it seemed to me when I was a little boy. What other time of the year could you go to bed that night and the following morning find a tree brightly lit and decorated with gifts all around it? It was magic. But what makes it magical?

 

My parents had a nativity scene that one of us kids would place under the tree each

year. We would take our turn to decorate it as we saw fit. Wherever we wanted, we could place the shepherds, the wise men, the animals, but most importantly, the baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary.

 

Christmas is magic indeed, but not in the way an 8 year old boy thought. Listen to what John wrote:

 

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.            NIV

 

I like how The Message phrases verse 14:

 

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

 

The Word, that is Jesus, became flesh and blood and moved into your neighborhood; into the house next door to you; maybe even into your house.

 

That’s more than the magic that I thought of as a little boy. When the creator takes residence in his creation, that’s supernatural! Who can do that? More importantly, why would he want to do that? John gives us the answer to these questions later in chapter 1.

 

²⁹ “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world!     MSG

 

Christmas is about the Word who became flesh; who moved into your neighborhood so that your sins could be forgiven. Christmas is about the Lamb of God who was sacrificed to make it all happen.

 

That’s a lot for a little baby to carry on his shoulders. You might even say… that it’s magic.

 

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

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