The crux of the Christmas story is hope, because the heart of the Christmas story is that our cries were heard. The heart of the Christmas story is the fulfillment of a promise. Which makes the heart of the Christmas story the faithfulness of God. What God had promised, He fulfilled. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). So through Jesus we speak “Amen” to the glory of God.
To say Jesus is the Messiah then is to say, “Amen!”
Amen!
So much beauty is wrapped up in that word “Amen.” Through it we declare the faithfulness of God. We declare Jesus as truly God With Us. We declare that what remains to be done on our behalf will surely be accomplished. For now we have God’s “Yes,” His Amen.
“No matter how many promises God has made they are “Yes” in Christ.”
This is true for those who earnestly long for his appearing (2 Tim 4:8). For those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” Christmas is a feast for their hearts They see not just a baby, not just weakness, but also the power of God working to confirm His own promises. They hear in the cooing of a baby a song of eternal joy.
Will God make us forget our troubled pasts” (Isaiah 65:16)?
Will He hide them from our eyes” (Isaiah 65:16)?
Will He really make of this broken world “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17)?
Will He indeed cause “the sound of weeping and crying” to disappear (Isaiah 65:17)?
Will He banish “death and mourning and crying and pain” (Revelation 21:4)?
Will He make sure we never again suffer from hunger or thirst” (Revelation 7:16)?
Will He truly lead [us] to springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17)?
Will God wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 7:17)?
Yes! Yes! And again, Yes!
God has promised these things and more. Christmas is the confirmation; it is the Amen to all God’s promises. In the coming of Jesus the Christ God the Father confirmed His good intentions to us. The father confirmed what had always been true, confirmed the full testimony of scripture, that Father, Son, and Spirit loves us and cares for us.
This Christmas, when someone says to you, “Merry Christmas,” respond, “Amen!”
Then tell them, “The birth of the Messiah is God’s Amen.”