Christmas is About the Future

This Christmas I have been meditating on the conditions that Christ was born into.  In Isaiah we see that the Messiah would be called Counselor, Comforter, the Prince of Peace, and the Ever-Lasting Father.  Then in Luke 2 the angel chorus confirms that this baby is a Savior, Christ the Lord.  This leaves no doubt that the Christ child would be more prominent and important than any baby that came before or since.

You would expect a baby like this to be born to a life of privilege.  Instead, the Christ child was born homeless and displaced to parents who began their marriage in disgrace (at least from the perspective of the average person on the street).  This baby would grow up to be a traveling rabbi with a band of followers who were not the most respected in society.  The baby’s earthly life would end by dying the most humiliating death possible like a common criminal. 

This is not the end of the story because the resurrection of Christ changed all eternity.  Because of the cross and resurrection, this lowly child, who was the God of the universe, would bring “peace on earth among those with whom he is pleased” (ESV).  The Christ child was born with several things against him yet ordained to bring about the single most significant moment in all of history. 

In many of our Christian schools this is not a family that we would be looking to for our ideal students.  The beginning of Christ’s earthly life reminds me that we can never know what will become of our students.  It may be the most inconspicuous and unlikely child in our classroom that goes on to make the most significant contribution in the Kingdom.  As Christian educators we must see the potential in every child under our care.  This is what Christ did with His followers.  He knew who they would become instead of focusing on who they were at that moment.  The same can be said for Isaiah and the angel’s choir.  They spoke only of who the baby was going to be, not the lowly position HE was born into.

Merry Christmas from Leverage Educational Services!!