Genealogy

Genealogies make us think about roots. Every family tree has its heroes and villains. Knowing where you came from, and who is in your family tree, helps to shape your identity and experience.

For a king to claim his throne, he must prove that he is descended from the royal bloodline. The two New Testament genealogies trace Jesus’ family connection to King David. Matthew 1:1–17 provides Joseph’s family tree, beginning with Abraham and ending with Jesus. Luke 3:23–38 traces Mary’s lineage, beginning with Jesus and going back to Adam. Both genealogies affirm that Jesus is a true descendant of King David and therefore Jesus can rightly lay claim to David’s throne. Together they identify Jesus as a descendant of Abraham (and therefore a Jew, Matt. 1:1–2; Luke 3:33) and as a descendant of Adam (and therefore human, v. 37).

Some persons get frustrated by all those difficult-to-pronounce names in the genealogies, wondering why they’re included in Scripture. The names tell us, first of all, that God is a God of individuals: each person is important to God. In fact God knows each of us by name (Isa. 43:1; John 10:3). Second, each person in the genealogies had a part in God’s plan to bring the Savior to earth. Each generation brought the Messiah’s arrival closer. Third, every family has members who are trophies of God’s grace, like Jacob, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (“Uriah’s wife”), as listed in Matthew.

Many families have recorded their family tree in the family Bible. It’s an efficient way of keeping track of all the relatives. When you see your own name, you realize it’s good to belong to the family. But most important, it’s good to belong to God’s family. Do you?

 See: David, Elizabeth, Joseph, King, Messiah, Prophecy

Gifts

God is a constant giver. He gives us life, health, food, family, resources, ability, work and rest, day and night, sun and rain, seasons, friends, guidance, answered prayer, grace and peace and joy. God’s greatest gift to us is Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ who is God the Son.

Unwrapping a gift is part of the joy of receiving it. What waits beneath the covering? Special gifts require special gift wrap. Koreans practice the art of pojagi, which includes wrapping special gifts with brightly colored and carefully patterned textiles that delight the eye and hand. A pojagi wrapping cloth means the gift is significant and that the giver intends great good for the recipient. The wrapping is as important as the gift itself.

When God gave His Son to the human race, He wrapped Him perfectly—in a body! “When Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me’” (Heb. 10:5). “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). God the Son in human flesh is unique, fully God and fully human. The Christmas gift is Jesus. God gave His infinite, eternal Son to sinners. In Jesus, God gives eternal life.

In giving us Jesus, God gave everything that we need spiritually. Ponder the words of Galatians 4:4–7:

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

St. Paul is telling us that, when we receive Jesus, we receive additional gifts from God. These include the gift of spiritual freedom, the gift of a spiritual family, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of our spiritual inheritance. These are blessings we enjoy because of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. At Christmas, God gave us a gift that does not wear out or lose its value or grow boring. The better we know Him, the richer a treasure Jesus is.

When we give gifts to others at Christmas, we are imitating God. Of course those who don’t know God do it unconsciously. God’s giving was intentional, and our giving should be as well. Let’s dare to probe this practice of giving gifts.

A good starting point is why we give. What are our motives? Giving should be a joy, not a burden. When we give because it’s tradition or because it’s required, it can get to be a seasonal expense that we resent. Giving to get produces neither joy nor satisfaction. Some persons give gifts to impress others. But the best reasons to give a gift are still love and to meet a need. God gave us Jesus because He loves us (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9–10). By giving us Jesus, God met our deepest need: to be forgiven of sin and to have life after death.

Another consideration about gift giving is how we give, and the wise men who brought gifts to Jesus provide a worthy example. Their gifts were appropriate for a king, and they gave according to their means (going into debt to give Christmas gifts is not good stewardship). Their gifts were planned long before they found the Child. The wise men offered their gifts joyfully, and their gifts blessed Mary and Joseph as well as baby Jesus (Matt. 2:9–11).

When we actually present the gift, we should do so thoughtfully, deciding ahead of time what we will say to the person as we place the gift in his or her hands. “Here, this is for you!” isn’t as meaningful as “I believe this gift reflects a part of your sparkling personality. I hope you enjoy it.” Good presentation matters in gift giving (the art of pojagi).

Most gift tags have two words: “To” and “From.” What if we changed the second word to “Because”? Then the tag might read, “To my wife” “Because of Jesus.” Or “To my son” “Because God loves you.” This creates an opportunity to make the spiritual motive for the gift crystal clear.

Here is an observation about what we give. Our gift reveals how well we know the recipient. A thoughtful gift will take into consideration his or her tastes, needs, experiences, and circumstances. Some folks like gifts that provide an experience (dining out, a trip, or skydiving), while others prefer material objects (a book, fountain pen, or clothing).

Since we will probably get some gifts at Christmas, we should contemplate how we receive a gift. Our relationship with the giver is more important than the gift itself. We should appreciate the thought, effort, and cost that went into the gift. Our attitude should be humble and we should be ready to be surprised. After we’ve opened the gift, our words and gestures should express gratitude. What if it’s a gift you don’t want? Be grateful anyway! (Try not to be one of those relatives who announces immediately that he’s going to exchange the gift.)

One aspect of gift giving remains to be explored: what we give to God. Obviously God needs nothing. Yet it delights the heart of God when His children offer their gifts. Over the course of Advent and Christmastide, and throughout the year, these gifts are appropriate:

Perhaps poet Christina Rossetti phrased it best in the carol we know as “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

 See: Grace, Immanuel, Wise Men, Word

Glory

From the human point of view, glory means achievement, fame, and publicity, with perhaps authority and money thrown in; but when we speak of “the glory of God,” it means something far different. “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. . . . The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:6, 8). Everything God is and does is glorious, and His glory never changes. Human glory is like fireworks that dazzle us for a few seconds and then vanish, but God’s glory is like the sun that is always radiant. Clouds may hide it but they cannot put it out. Therefore, the Lord is worthy of all praise and honor, for nothing in all creation excels the magnificence of the Lord. He alone is worthy of praise and worship, and our greatest privilege is to worship “the glorious Father” (Eph. 1:17) and the Son who glorifies the Father (John 5:23). “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31; see Matt. 5:16).

The Jewish people were privileged to have God’s glory abiding with them, for “theirs [is] the divine glory” (Rom. 9:4). When Moses dedicated the tabernacle, God’s glory moved in (Exod. 40:34–35; Lev. 9:22–24); but when Israel repeatedly rebelled against God, the glory departed (1 Sam. 4:21). Solomon dedicated the temple to the Lord, and once more the glory filled the edifice (2 Chron. 7:1–3), and the people fell on their faces to worship God. But again the nation and its leaders repeatedly sinned, and the glory departed (Ezek. 9:3; 10:4, 18–19; 11:22).

The glory of God returned to earth when Jesus was born at Bethlehem. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Savior laid aside His eternal glory that He might come to earth as a servant (17:5), and He glorified the Father in His ministry on earth (v. 1). He received that glory back when He returned to the Father in heaven (v. 5), and one day all believers will see that glory and share in it (v. 24). All of God’s children have that glory within them today (v. 22), and one day that glory will be revealed for all to see (Rom. 8:21–25, 29–30).

“The heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). This was certainly true when the star appeared to the wise men and led them to Bethlehem. The shepherds saw God’s glory when the angels appeared to them in the fields and they heard the angels praise God for His glory. The experience so moved them that they glorified God in the witness they gave to others (Luke 2:9, 14, 20).

Where is God’s glory today? It is still reflected in His creation, but it also dwells in each individual believer (1 Cor. 10:31), in each faithful local church (1 Cor. 3:16–17—the pronouns are plural), and in the universal Church made up of all who have trusted Christ (Eph. 1:22; 2:19–22; 3:20–21). When we glorify God in our lives and in corporate worship, the unsaved are convicted and want to believe in Jesus and be saved. “But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” (1 Cor. 14:24–25).

God created us to share His glory, not only in this life but throughout eternity. We lost that glory because of sin (Rom. 1:21–23; 3:23), and it can be restored only through personal faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1–2).

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn King!”

Charles Wesley

 See: Angels, Nazarene

God

God reveals His perfect character in all that He says and all that He does, and this is especially true in the Christmas narrative. When you read carefully Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2, you discover the greatness of Almighty God.

A Triune God

In Luke 1:30–35 the angel Gabriel calmed Mary’s fears by assuring her that God looked in favor (grace) on her. Then Gabriel explained that she would be the vessel God would use to bring His Son into the world. Mary didn’t doubt these words but she did wonder how they would be accomplished in the body of an unmarried virgin. Gabriel explained that this would be the work of the Holy Spirit. So here we have the Triune God—the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit—working together to accomplish the miracle of the virgin birth. (See also Matthew 1:18–23.) The doctrine of the Trinity is basic to the Christian faith. The text of our Lord’s sermon at Nazareth emphasized the Trinity (Luke 4:18–19), and so did His discourse in the upper room (John 14:15–21, 26; 15:26; 16:5–16). The apostle Paul taught this doctrine often in his epistles (Rom. 1:1–7; 8:9–11, 26–27; 15:16; 2 Cor. 1:20–22; 13:14; Gal. 4:4–6; Eph. 1:3–14; 3:14–19; 2 Thess. 2:13–14; Titus 3:4–6). A famous theologian once said, “Try to explain the Trinity and you may lose your mind. Explain it away and you will lose your soul.”

A God of Great Power

“For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). The angel Gabriel knew what he was talking about, for he had seen the Lord create the universe by merely speaking the word (Job 38:4–7) and he knew about every miracle recorded in the Old Testament. In the 1901 American Standard Version, Luke 1:37 reads, “For no word from God shall be void of power.” The psalmist made it clear: “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps. 33:9). Only God can speak the word and the night sky will blaze with His glory and a remarkable star will guide travelers from the East. Only God can cause His eternal Son to become a human baby, without sacrificing His deity, and be born from Mary’s womb. “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14).

A God of Great Love

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This familiar verse reminds us that Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save all who would believe in Him. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Because of their great love, the Father gave the Son and the Son gave His life. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).

A Faithful God

Speaking about Jesus, the angel Gabriel said, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of David forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32–33). Mary sang, “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers” (vv. 54–55). Filled with the Spirit, Zechariah the priest said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people . . . (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)” (vv. 68, 70). God made covenant promises to His people and He kept every one of them. At the close of a long life, Joshua said to the people of Israel, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Josh. 23:14). King David sang, “O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant” (2 Sam. 7:28). The Christmas narrative reminds us that God can be trusted. He remembers His holy covenant and He keeps His promises (Luke 1:68–79).

A God Who Answers Prayer

All their married life, Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son and had joined the faithful Jewish remnant in asking God to send the promised Redeemer. Year after year, it seemed that God wasn’t listening, but then the angel told Zechariah that his prayer had been heard (Luke 1:13). Only a God of love is willing to hear His people’s prayers; only a God of wisdom knows how to answer; only a God of power can provide that answer. We can only marvel at the providence of God as He brought everything together at the manger in Bethlehem.

A God Who Responds to Faith

Because Mary believed God’s promise (Luke 1:45), she was blessed and rejoiced at the fulfillment of His Word. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she said. “May it be to me as you have said” (v. 38). Because Zechariah doubted God’s promise, he became silent and deaf until eight days after his son was born. When we trust ourselves, we get whatever we can do, but when we trust God, we get what only God can do. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps. 20:7). No wonder Paul prayed, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Note those five monosyllables—“as you trust in him.”

God of Glory

Whatever God does will ultimately lead to His glory. “The LORD will give grace and glory” (Ps. 84:11 NKJV). Paul combines these words in Ephesians 1:6—“to the praise of his glorious grace.” The Christmas narrative is filled with the glory of God. The shepherds beheld “the glory of the Lord” around them (Luke 2:9), and the angels praised God’s glory because of His favor to mankind (v. 14). The shepherds glorified God by sharing the good news God had told them (v. 20). Old Simeon sang in the temple, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (vv. 30–32).

During the Christmas season, some people complain about the gifts they receive and say, “I surely deserve more than this!” They have forgotten about God’s grace, because none of us really deserves anything! And yet the Father has given us His very best and most costly gift—His one and only Son (John 3:16).

We could mention many more attributes of God found in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2 but we will give you the joy of discovering them for yourself. As you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and read, hear, and sing the Christmas story, be alert to identify the attributes of God and then praise God for His greatness.

 See: Gifts, Glory, Grace, Love

Grace

God in His grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve—judgment. God’s grace is possible because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. The word grace is often translated “favor” in modern versions of the New Testament, because favor is something that sinners can’t earn and don’t deserve. That God chose Mary to bear Jesus was an act of grace (Luke 1:28—literally “Joy to you who are highly graced”). In her song The Magnificat (vv. 46–55), Mary took none of the credit and gave all the glory to God.

While they were growing up, both Jesus and John the Baptist experienced the grace of God (Luke 1:80; 2:40, 52). In Titus 2:11–14 and 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul emphasized God’s grace in the coming of Jesus to earth to be our Savior.

Someone made a helpful acrostic of the familiar word grace:

God’s

Resources

Available to

Christians

Everywhere

Grace comes from God, for He is “the God of all grace” (1 Pet. 5:10). His resources of grace are so vast that Paul wrote about “the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7; 2:7). These riches are available to all of God’s children in every circumstance of life. It’s not our performance or our perfection that determines God’s generosity, but only His abounding grace. This doesn’t mean we should use grace as an excuse to sin (Rom. 6:1–4; Jude 4), nor should we become so legalistic that we “set aside the grace of God” or “[fall] away from grace” (Gal. 2:21; 5:4). We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8–9) and we must live by grace (1 Cor. 15:10).

The best “Christmas text” about grace is 2 Corinthians 8:9—“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus was rich in heaven, yet He laid it all aside and became poor on earth so that He might make rich all who believe in Him. The verb indicates “once and for all” action and refers to the incarnation. Paul described this wonder in Philippians 2:1–11, and it is illustrated in John 13:1–17, when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet.

The church at Laodicea thought it was rich when it was really poor (Rev. 3:17–18), while the church at Smyrna thought it was poor but was really rich (2:9). “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ” (Col. 2:9–10). Not emptiness but fullness! God’s people may not have great material riches that fade away or can be stolen but they do have spiritual riches that never fade away and that nobody can steal (Matt. 6:19–34), and they have God’s promise that He will meet their every need (Phil. 4:19). Paul described himself as “poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, yet possessing everything” (2 Cor. 6:10). What a paradox—and what a privilege!

The word grace isn’t used widely in Christmas songs but it hasn’t been completely overlooked. The second verse of Charles Wesley’s “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” reads—

Born Thy people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a King.

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

“Joy to the World” by Isaac Watts has “grace” in the last verse—“He rules the world with truth and grace.” The beloved “Silent Night” by Joseph Mohr says in verse three:

Silent night, holy night,

Son of God, love’s pure light;

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

In verse one of “It Came upon the Midnight Clear” by Edmund H. Sears, you find, “Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven’s all-gracious King.”

For the most part, the world doesn’t understand the meaning of grace. Most people think we earn our way into heaven by our good works and that God saves the righteous. But there are no righteous, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” said Jesus (Luke 5:32). He couldn’t call the righteous people because there aren’t any! “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). That’s the reason all of us must depend wholly on the grace of God.

 See: Songs

Greetings

A greeting is intended to acknowledge someone’s presence, get his or her attention, and engage the person in conversation. However, the words we use to greet others during Advent and Christmas have become the subject of hostile debate. Political correctness demands that “Merry Christmas!” be replaced by “Season’s Greetings!” or “Happy Holidays!”

For followers of Jesus Christ, the Advent/Christmas season is about Jesus; therefore, “Merry Christmas!” best communicates both our faith and our reason for rejoicing (merry means “festive, filled with joy and laughter”). Within the family of faith, “Merry Christmas!” is always appropriate. In the wider world, we must boldly express our faith in Christ but we might want to consider some alternative expressions.

The most common greeting given to the main characters of Advent and Christmas was “Do not be afraid” (see “Fear Not”). This was how Gabriel spoke to Zechariah (Luke 1:13) and to Mary (v. 30) and how an angel addressed both Joseph (Matt. 1:20) and the shepherds (Luke 2:10). But there were other phrases used as well. Gabriel said to Mary, “The Lord is with you” (1:28). The angels announced to the shepherds “good news” (2:10).

Ponder what could happen if Christians began to greet others with alternative biblical phrases. What might people think, and how might they respond, to a reassuring “Fear not!”? What kind of questions might come in response to “Good news!”? What internal defenses might crumble if someone heard, “The Lord is with you!”?

Christmas greetings are required for the season. Choose your words thoughtfully.

 See: Angels, “Fear Not,” Mary, Shepherds, Zechariah