It’s Not Just a Birth. It’s a Whole New Beginning.

A mother and father look down at their new baby in love and wonder. What will that child become? In the delivery room, they have no way of knowing what the future holds for that baby.

The Nativity Story

Not so with Jesus. Imagine the scene for Mary and Joseph after their firstborn arrives:

“OK, Mom and Dad, here’s the deal. Your son is going to be the world’s top counselor of all time … the kind of advocate that is full of compassion and smarts and never loses a case. People will rely on him for his strength and might. He’ll become a parent who never runs out of energy, time, or resources, and to top it all off – he will be the leader of the all-time supreme royal family and the one person in the universe responsible for finally bringing the world a lasting peace!”

That’s pretty much what God announces in Isaiah 9:6: “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

It’s Not Just a Birth. It’s a Beginning.

It’s tempting to think of Christmas as simply the celebration of a baby’s birth, albeit a remarkable one. We’ve read the story and know how it will turn out … don’t we?

Perhaps not. We tend to miss the implications of Jesus’ birth as a whole new way of viewing the world’s governance. Yes, nations continue to operate under the direction of leaders both upright and flawed. International relations take three steps forward and two steps back. Bureaucracies become bloated. But all the while, Jesus’ arrival presented the ultimate “government” takeover. “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 6:7). Jesus’ birth may have been subtle, but it was the beginning of a reign that continues to grow and will never stop.

God knew in the delivery room (the manger) what was in store for that baby. He’d even foretold it.

Insider Access

And we’re a part of it. Through Jesus, God has given us direct access to the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

This Christmas, as you look at the Baby in the manger, don’t sell Him short – nor the access He gives you. As a Christian, you’re an “insider.” How will participate in the reign that has no end?