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Look for the Sign!

St. Luke 2:11-12:
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

When a person is driving in a car, he has to be very watchful of signs along the roadways. There may be “Stop” signs, “Yield” signs, “Do Not Pass” signs, and a whole host of others. Some give warnings, some give directions, and some give distances. But each sign has a particular purpose: to alert us to something important that is coming up ahead.

There are many signs in the Bible, also. God gave Noah the rainbow as a sign of His promise never to destroy the earth again by water. God gave Abraham and his descendants the sign of circumcision to mark them as His covenant people. God especially gave many signs that pointed to the Savior who would come to save His people from their sins. Many prophets in the Old Testament spoke of these signs and promises of God to His people.

Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.”

At Jesus’ birth on that first Christmas Eve, God gave the shepherds the sign of a Baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. That way the shepherds would find the right Baby and know that He was the promised Savior. God also gave the Magi (Wise Men) the sign of the Christmas star that led them to Bethlehem and to Jesus. God has also given us signs in His Word, the Bible, which let us know that Jesus is coming again.

The signs are important, not for themselves, but for what they point to and alert us to. Those that are most important clearly show us Jesus and let us know that He is indeed the Son of God. These include the signs of His baptism, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. All these signs point to the wonderful Gift that God gives us this Christmas: a Savior born in a stable, lying in a manger.

That Gift is precious and of eternal value—God kept His promise: Jesus will, and has, saved us from our sins and given us eternal life. We will share that life with Him in the resurrection forever and ever. Jesus Christ is God’s Gift that keeps on giving to all of us. Christmas is much more than just a generic “holiday.” It is a Holy Day, the birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ, the day when Heaven touched earth. May your Christmas be a very merry and blessed celebration of Jesus!

Thank You, Father in Heaven, for Your precious Christmas Gift to all of us who live in Your world. Thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your only Son into death on a cross for us that our sins could be washed away and forgiven forever. Let us live each day of our life to Your glory that people may see Jesus and know He is their Savior also. In His precious Name, we pray. Amen.