Just A Baby
Six months ago we welcomed our newborn daughter into our hearts and home. Our son (6) was at last a big brother. It’s funny how expectations of parents and little kids are so different. Our son was expecting to play tractors and farming from day one. He needed to understand that she is just a baby.
Any parent of a newborn has very simple expectations. All they really hope for is that they are healthy, eat, sleep, and fill their diapers. Of course you also have expectations and hopes for their future, but that is a big unknown.
Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And depending on your expectations of the Christ Child determines not only your Christmas, but also your eternity.
Many see Jesus as just another baby. They picture his birth like so many euphemistic Christmas cards—a cute and cuddly scene in a nice and clean manger and stable. Even if you’ve ever only been in the cleanest of barns, you know this could not be the case. But perhaps some of the reason behind such a scene is because this is the expectation many have of Jesus. He’s just another baby who grew up, was a good man, was a good example to follow, and was murdered by his enemies—nothing more.
But Jesus is so much more than “just” a baby! The angel proclaimed amazing news to the world when he announced to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
This little one cushioned by hay in the manger is Immanuel, God with us! This little one held in the arms of every-day Israelites, Mary and Joseph, is the Savior of the world! This little one seen with the very eyes of humble shepherds came to be our Good Shepherd!
And therein lies one of the marvelous mysteries of Christmas. Of all the ways God could have chosen to come into this world to rescue it, he comes as just a baby! Why? So he could be one of us! So he could live with us, know our wants, cry our tears, yes, even die our death!
These were the expectations God the Father set for his Son, and Jesus fulfilled them all! And all those who listen to the Lord’s promises share in these same expectations. As you place your trust in Jesus, this babe born in Bethlehem, God has assured you of certain expectations. With Christ as the center of your Christmas, you know you are at peace with God, you know your sins are forgiven, and you eagerly expect to one day spend Christmas in heaven with Immanuel who today so long ago came to us as just a baby.
Pastor Ben Enstad
St. John Evangelical Lutheran (WELS) in Valmy
Any parent of a newborn has very simple expectations. All they really hope for is that they are healthy, eat, sleep, and fill their diapers. Of course you also have expectations and hopes for their future, but that is a big unknown.
Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And depending on your expectations of the Christ Child determines not only your Christmas, but also your eternity.
Many see Jesus as just another baby. They picture his birth like so many euphemistic Christmas cards—a cute and cuddly scene in a nice and clean manger and stable. Even if you’ve ever only been in the cleanest of barns, you know this could not be the case. But perhaps some of the reason behind such a scene is because this is the expectation many have of Jesus. He’s just another baby who grew up, was a good man, was a good example to follow, and was murdered by his enemies—nothing more.
But Jesus is so much more than “just” a baby! The angel proclaimed amazing news to the world when he announced to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
This little one cushioned by hay in the manger is Immanuel, God with us! This little one held in the arms of every-day Israelites, Mary and Joseph, is the Savior of the world! This little one seen with the very eyes of humble shepherds came to be our Good Shepherd!
And therein lies one of the marvelous mysteries of Christmas. Of all the ways God could have chosen to come into this world to rescue it, he comes as just a baby! Why? So he could be one of us! So he could live with us, know our wants, cry our tears, yes, even die our death!
These were the expectations God the Father set for his Son, and Jesus fulfilled them all! And all those who listen to the Lord’s promises share in these same expectations. As you place your trust in Jesus, this babe born in Bethlehem, God has assured you of certain expectations. With Christ as the center of your Christmas, you know you are at peace with God, you know your sins are forgiven, and you eagerly expect to one day spend Christmas in heaven with Immanuel who today so long ago came to us as just a baby.
Pastor Ben Enstad
St. John Evangelical Lutheran (WELS) in Valmy
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