Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who lived and died around 2,000 years ago. The promise of his coming is as old as mankind’s need of him. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen 3:15) Thousands of years later God repeated that promise but clarified it and narrowed it to one family wandering in modern day Syria, Lebanon and Israel. “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” “It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.” (Gen 22:18 & Gal 3:15). The promise echoed again 1500 years before his birth when Moses promised that a prophet like him would come from Abraham’s family (Deut 18:15). Once again, after Israel was established in the land the promise of the Coming One was heard once more, this time in the royal line who would rule and build, “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2S 7:12-14)

We’re not sure what time of year Jesus was born, possibly in the spring, but that isn’t important or God would have included it in his word. What is important is that the long promised savior came, exactly as God had promised. The gift of Christmas is Immanuel, God is With Us, in the form of a son born of a virgin, an Israelite of the royal line of David.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Col 1:15-21)

This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Merry Christmas, our Savior has come.