“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…” -Galatians 4:4

For some people, the Christmas season can’t come quickly enough. They’re ready to turn on the Christmas music, put up the tree and twinkle lights and start celebrating the most wonderful time of the year as soon as possible. For others, there is a cherished tradition of waiting til exactly the right moment to begin celebrating—the day after Thanksgiving, the 1st of December, Christmas Eve. These are some of the traditions that make Christmas so special.

As we are beginning to count down the days to Christmas, think back to the very first Christmas season. The birth of Jesus was truly the most long-awaited, highly anticipated miracle in the history of the world! The Jewish people had been waiting and anticipating the arrival of their Messiah, and finally Jesus arrived! Here He was, God in human form, and it was at the perfect, God-ordained moment in time. But though the world had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of its Savior, the first Christmas was nothing like anyone had expected. 

God in flesh, came down to earth to save the world in exactly the way at exactly the moment God had planned since before the creation of the world. And even if it may not have seemed that way, it was perfect. The people involved may not have seemed very important, and the place was not lavish or especially welcoming. There was really very little attention given to the arrival of our Savior. Yet, God chose these people, this place, and this time because He had a plan.

Galatians 4 tells us that it was at the exact place in history that God intended from the beginning. May we remember this as we enter into this most wonderful time of the year. Though His ways are not our ways, His plans bring about the most beautiful, miraculous wonders of all time. His timing is perfect, and this is something we can all celebrate.

If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.