This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 9

The Genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17)

I am the son of Dick and Beverly Robinson . . . the grandson of Don and Boonetta Davis and Glen and Alice Robinson . . . and so on, and so on.  These facts are personally very meaningful.  They describe my earthly heritage and contain the names of people who have shaped my life in profound ways.  

Every person reading this ALSO is a part of a family tree.  Though my experience as a descendant of the “Robinson” and “Davis” families is very positive, your experience may have been rocky.  For good or for bad, we are still connected to and marked by our lineage.  Personally, it bears great meaning to each of us.

However, there are some people whose family trees are not just PERSONALLY interesting, but have implications that impact the world.  Think about members of the British Royal Family.  Their blood lines bring with them responsibility and authority that impacts the society around them.

In Matthew 1:1-17, we see the family tree of Jesus Christ.  This family tree lets us know a few things:

1. It shows us that Jesus (the Son of God) became fully human at His earthly birth.  He did not just become “human-like,” He PERSONALLY took on flesh and dwelt among us.  Therefore, we do not have a Savior who cannot relate to us, but we have One who knows what it means to live in this world.  His lineage is a reminder of that.
2. It shows us that Jesus genealogy sets Him up for a WORLD-WIDE impact.  He is a descendant of Abraham, reminding us that He is ethnically a Jew, thus continuing the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people long ago.  Also, we see that Jesus’ great, great, great, great, great Grandpa was David – a reminder that Jesus would be the promised descendant of David to sit on the throne of God and reign forever.  His family tree supports and qualifies Him for not just personal influence.

At Christmastime, we sometimes skip the beginning verses of Matthew 1:1-17 and begin our Scripture reading when the Angels show up in 1:18ff.  When we do that, we miss the blessing of generations . . . reminding us of the PERSONAL and WORLD shaping reality of Jesus life. Scan over the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and see how many names you recognize.

Suggested song for today:  “Matthew’s Begats”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 8

Magnify the Lord (Luke 1:46-58)

When I was a child, I remember my parents occasionally hosting a “Bridge” group some Saturday nights.  When they would host this group, my sister and I would retreat to my parents’ bedroom where we would watch “Solid Gold” and “Hee Haw” on the 12 inch black and white television.  As we would watch this TV, I never thought of it as small or poor quality, because it was all we had.  However, when you compare that 1970’s era TV to the HD flat screen in my living room right now, it is easy to point out how much “better” today’s technology is.

A lot of descriptors we have in our language only gain their meaning by comparison.  To my eighth grader, I am tall, but not to the roster of the OKC Thunder.  To my parents I am young, but not compared to the kids in Wildwood’s children’s ministry.  Old/young, tall/short . . . these terms gain their meaning when they have a point of reference.

Let me ask you a question . . . a MACRO-LEVEL question:  When it comes to your life, what is your point of reference?  Honestly, I think that our point of reference for our lives can be centered in one of only 3 places:

• Our self
• Others
• God

These are the options.

If your point of reference is yourself, then you determine your own reality.  What is “needed” is what you want.  What is “good” is what is “good for you at that moment.”

If your point of reference is “others” you allow another human or group of humans to define your world.  If they say something is important, it is important.  If they say something is right, it is right.

If your point of reference is God, then He is your vision.  He determines right from wrong, truth from error, good from bad.

Here is what I have noticed, both in my life and in the lives of those I know.  When our primary reference point in life is a person (us or someone else), “God” tends to be small in our lives.  When God is our reference point, people tend to be small.  To say it another way, when people are big, God is small, but when God is big, people are small.  By this I don’t mean that people are not valuable, but I mean that when God is our reference point, we tend to not fear the reactions of men, but when people are our reference point, we tend to not fear the presence of God.

In Luke 1:46-56, Mary reveals her response to the news that she would be the mother of Jesus.  Her response (called the Magnificat due to the Latin word for the first word of the “song” recorded here) shows that her reference point was God.  In this song, she magnifies the Lord, thereby properly understanding that she is small . . . and so are the problems around her.  Not small as in insignificant, but small compared to the greatness of our God.  

And even though Jesus was still in utero at that point, measuring just a few inches in length, He stood tall over all because of who He was and what He would do for His people.

This Christmas we will spend a fair amount of time comparing ourselves to others.  Are the gifts we are giving our kids too much or not enough?  Are our holiday plans good or bad?    Is this year’s celebration better than last?  In the midst of these comparisons, spend a few moments magnifying the Lord using Mary’s example from her song.  As we make the Lord our reference point, as He “becomes” big, we will find our problems small by comparison.

Suggested song for today:  “Mary Did You Know?”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 7

Empty arms … filled (Luke 1:39-45)

When Luke picked up a pen and began to write about the birth of Jesus, he did not begin with Mary . . . or Joseph . . . he began with a man named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth.  Their story (not Mary and Joseph’s) kicks off Luke’s Gospel, and it is the conception of their son John (not the immaculate conception of Jesus) that is the first reason to celebrate in this book.  This makes sense, because Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son (John the Baptist) would be the one who would “go before Jesus in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready for the Lord a people prepared (Luke 1:17).”  By definition John would come first because he was the forerunner to Jesus.

Even knowing that, it is still striking how much space Luke gives (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  You can read the account for yourselves in Luke 1:5-25, 39-45, 57-80.  What does God want us to see in this account?  Well, here are a couple of thoughts:

1. The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and promises Zechariah and Elizabeth a child.  Zechariah and Elizabeth were “advanced in age” and well past their child conceiving days.  Upon hearing this news, Zechariah doubts its veracity.  Because of this doubt, Zechariah is struck silent for the duration of the pregnancy.  Zechariah’s silence mirrors the 400 years of silence that the nation of Israel had in the days leading up to John the Baptist’s birth.  For those 400 years, God did not speak to His people through the prophets.  The extra nine months of silence that Zechariah experiences mirror the silence the nation had endured before God as they wandered in the darkness of unbelief.  When John is born, however, God begins to speak again to His people . . . and Zechariah is the first of a new order of prophets that would continue to share God’s voice to His people through the writing of the New Testament — all “making ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
2. If we see the voice of God returning through Zechariah, we see something else in the account of his wife Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was an older woman . . . well past child bearing days, and yet her womb was barren.  Over time, her empty arms had become a heavy burden.  While all the other moms were getting cards on Mother’s Day and a visible legacy to shape, Elizabeth’s childlessness had become (in her words) a “reproach among people (Luke 1:25).”  The birth of John was not just about what the Lord was doing in the world, it was an act of compassion and kindness to Elizabeth.  Her womb opened.  The promise of God turned into a person . . . a gift. 

The ache of Elizabeth’s empty arms were filled with the life that only God can bring.  This is a reminder to all who come after that in Christ, God can do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).”  

What are you “aching” about today?  Lay your head upon His promises and find your rest in Jesus Christ.

Suggested song for today:  “Elizabeth”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 6

Key Ingredients of the Christmas Story (Luke 1:26-38)

Today cooking shows are all the rage.  An entire television station (the Food Network) shows programming all day to help us know how to make the perfect broccoli caserole.  Do we live in a great country or what!  As someone who does not really like to cook, I don’t have a lot of use for the Food Network.  In my opinion, Food TV is on par with a channel featuring 24 hour coverage of paint drying.

Cooking food is not near as interesting to me as eating it . . . but there are times it is important to understand what actually goes into making certain dishes.  Let’s just say (for instance) that someone has a peanut allergy.  It would be imperative for that person to know if ANY peanuts were used in making the Pad Thai.

In Luke 1:26-38, God shows us what all went into making Jesus born on the earth.  This is important because God is a holy God and the idea of a divine incarnation raises some serious questions.

• Did Jesus inherit a sin nature like all humanity since Adam and Eve?  Knowing holiness is allergic to sin, that is an important question.
• Did Jesus maintain His divinity when He came to earth, or did He simply become human?
• Did Jesus really become human, or did He merely appear human?

In order to prepare the incarnation, Luke 1:26-38 tells us that several ingredients were necessary in certain order:

• One virgin woman.  Mary was an essential ingredient in this story.  Some have tried to mythologize Mary into some sort of super hero, but that is not the biblical picture of Mary.  The biblical picture of Mary highlights her “girl next door-ness” not HER immaculate conception.  She is portrayed as a normal teenaged girl from Anytown, Israel –   betrothed to be married.  Mary was a virgin.  This sets the stage for a truly miraculous birth. Further, Mary’s involvement seals the deal of Jesus’ humanity.  He had a human, sinful mother.  Mary was in need of a Messiah herself, and by being born of a woman, Jesus was clothing Himself in a body that would bleed and die, while He fully identified with humanity from cradle to grave.
• The Holy Spirit.  The second necessary ingredient to the incarnation was the Spirit of God.  The miraculous conception of Jesus happened because the Spirit of God was present and “overshadowed” Mary causing her to conceive.  God’s Spirit placed the child in Mary’s womb.  By this Jesus would not merely be human, but be the Son of God.  This divine inspiration allowed Jesus to be human, but miss a sinful disposition.  It allowed Jesus to both Man AND God.
• Mix in a dash of Joseph.  Joseph was Jesus’ connection to the royal lineage of King David.  This allowed legitimacy to Jesus’ kingly reign, and foreshadowed His fulfillment as the King of Israel who would sit on David’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7).

When you serve up all three of these ingredients, you have a God/Man who can save humanity from our sins and reconcile us to our Heavenly Father.  Serving up the King of Kings is a delicate process theologically.  That is why God broadcasts the details so we can enjoy its rich flavor.

All this points to the fact that Jesus is uniquely qualified from His birth to His death.  These extraordinary events identify God’s presence and invite us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Suggested song for today:  “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 5

Opening Act (Luke 1:5-25)

In October 2009, tens of thousands of Oklahomans descended upon the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for an event.  Though thousands of people flock to this stadium every October, the event on October 18, 2009 was unique.  On this day, the crowd was gathering NOT to watch a football game but to watch a rock and roll show.  U2 had decided to make a stop on their 360 tour in Norman . . . and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.

The 360 concert was quite a spectacle.  Playing in nearly 100,000 seat stadiums around the country, U2 had created a unique stage they called “the claw” which would sit on about the 50 yard line, with the crowd surrounding them in every direction.  The concert was to begin at 7:00 PM, but before U2 would take the stage, the audience had to be prepared.

For their Norman show, U2 had invited the Black Eyed Peas to be their opening act.  The first hour of the concert was given to this hip hop mega-band.  From the moment they took the stage, we had a feeling that that night was gonna be a good night (sorry I could not resist.)

The job of the opening act is simple . . . showcase their talent in front of a massive audience, while prepping the people for the main show.  The Black Eyed Peas did a fine job of this.  The volume of their music took our ears right up to the Edge.  Their energy got all of us up on our feet and moving around.  Their enthusiasm for the night was infectious.  All this set the environment for when U2 finally came on stage and elevated us to the place “where the streets have no name.”

I was thinking about that today as I read Luke chapter 1.  Luke 1 begins the story of Jesus with a tale of an angelic announcement and miraculous birth.  However, the first announcement and birth referenced in Luke 1 is NOT about Jesus . . . it is about Jesus’ cousin John. 

Luke’s Gospel begins the story of Jesus with the birth of John.  As a matter of fact, all four Gospels begin the story of Jesus with John the Baptist.  Do you find that odd?  Only one Gospel mentions the shepherds.  One Gospel mentions the Magi.  One Gospel tells Joseph’s back story.  One Gospel mentions Mary’s story.  No Gospels mention the Little Drummer Boy, yet EVERY Gospel mentions John the Baptist.  This indicates to us that there is something important about John’s life.  But what is it?

The Gospel accounts all tell us the same story.  John came in the “spirit of Elijah” as the “opening act” to Jesus of Nazareth.  Before Jesus would take the stage and reconcile us to God, John came to help get us ready.

John was to showcase God’s Truth in front of a large audience, while prepping the people for the Main Show.  His message of repentance helped remind people of their need that Jesus would meet.  The water baptism he offered, gave people a chance to pull out of their orbit around self-righteous religion, and seek new life in God.  John talked about Messiah coming soon, recreating or reinforcing the true hope for the people of Israel.  John did this job, and he did it very well.  When Jesus finally “takes the stage” after His baptism in the Jordan River, God’s people were more ready to respond based on the preparation they received from the opening act.  As Luke 1:17 says, John was “to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

This Christmas, as you flip through the first few pages of each Gospel to get to the headlining event, don’t just skip over the story of John the Baptist.  God wanted every heart to prepare room for Messiah, so He sent John ahead to make those arrangements.

Think about your own life.  If you are in a relationship with Christ today, no doubt you too had an opening act that God used in your life to prepare you for Jesus.  God uses a variety of things/people/experiences to prepare us for Him.  For the Israelites of the first century, John was the opening act . . . who did God use in your life to prepare the way for Jesus?

Suggested song for today:  “Joy Has Dawned”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 4

Sound of Silence (Malachi to Matthew)

January 1, 1611. This date is roughly 400 years ago. At that time, the original pilgrims were still a decade away from coming to the “new land” and settling Plymouth Bay Colony. 100% of the United States history beyond that of the Native Americans was yet to be written. On January 1, 1611, the King James Bible had not even gone to print yet! Think of all the history and all the changes the past 400 years have brought!

400 years is a very long time. Placing an actual date to 400 years and counting back adds needed perspective to this denomination of time. From a Biblical perspective, grasping how long 400 years is really helps us better understand the Christmas story. What do I mean by this?

The last Old Testament book written was the book of Malachi. It was written after the nation of Israel returned from exile in foreign lands in the early 400’s BC. After God spoke to His people through Malachi, He went silent for the next 400 years. After speaking regularly through prophets in every generation from Abraham to Malachi, 400 years of silence transpire in what is known as the “inter-testamental” period of time (the time from the end of the Old Testament books to the beginning of the New Testament). When you hear that there were 400 years of silence you sometimes fail to grasp just how long a period of time that was. Looking back 400 years from today helps us realize how many generations of people lived their lives wondering if God had abandoned them. Did His silence mean that He was no longer going to bring His Messiah to them to deliver them from their sins? Did His silence mean that something had changed regarding God’s promises?

Now, many reading this may want to argue that it has been 2000 years since ANY Scripture has been written. The recent silence from God may seem far more dramatic than the inter-testamental period. This simple observation, however, is unfounded. The Old Testament POINTED to the coming of Christ, and God had reaffirmed His promises to each generation through new generations of prophets up to the time of Malachi. The silence actually indicated a change that could have been interpreted as a NEGATIVE change. Since Jesus actually came in the New Testament time as a full revelation of God’s plan, there now is no longer a need for Scripture to continue to be written. God has been consistent in ceasing His prophetic communication in the writing of Scripture since the end of the first century. The lack of new Scripture today is a POSITIVE, reminding us that Christ is the final and full revelation of all we really need to know.

Now, understanding this, we should be shockingly surprised (as Mary was) when the Angel shows up in Mary’s room and tells her that she will miraculously conceive a Son who will be the Savior of the world. We should be startled by the whisper of the Angel to Zechariah in the Temple that he will have a son who will prepare the way for the Lord. We should be startled at these words because they broke a period of prolonged silence. 400 years of silence, broken with a renewed promise of a Savior. What is particularly great about when God broke the silence is that He broke it saying that the Savior was going to come in 9 months!!! Generations had strained to see the day when Messiah would come, now He was only three trimesters from delivery.

Many times when we read the Christmas story, we read it thinking of Mary or Joseph . . . Zechariah or Elizabeth. Today as you think about this story, think about it from a 400 year perspective. God broke the silence with fantastic good news.

Do you feel like you are living in an era of “silence” from the Lord today? Do you wonder if He has forgotten you because you have not “heard” from Him in a while? This Christmas listen closely. God broke the silence at the birth of Christ and He wants to whisper to us through this story today, reminding us of His great love for us.

Suggested song for today:  “The First Noel”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 3

A Team Game (Micah 5:2)

Football is the ultimate team game.  It takes 11 men on each down to make a play work.  This sounds like coach-speak, but it is actually gospel truth.  For instance, if the quarterback drops back to throw a deep pass to the wide receiver, everyone must do their part for the play to work.  If any member of the offensive line does not make their block, the quarterback does not have time to throw the pass.  If the running back does not pick up the blitzing linebacker, the quarterback will be sacked.  If the other wide receivers (the ones not being thrown the ball) do not run their routes, the intended receiver will be double-covered.  If the quarterback does not throw the ball on target the receiver does not have a chance to catch it.  If the receiver does not catch the ball, the play is a failure.  Everyone must do his job for a single play to work.  This makes football the ultimate team game.

Even when a play is not “about them” everyone must do their part in order for the play to work.  This is different than other sports.  On a baseball team, the right fielder does nothing on a routine ground ball to the short stop.  On a basketball team (while a very good team game), a great player can score lots of points playing a “one-on-one” kind of game.  Only in football must everyone participate in order for the play to work.

I was thinking about this today as I was reflecting on the Christmas story . . . particularly the part of Jesus being born in Bethlehem.  The fact that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem was promised by God through the prophet Micah in Micah 5:2, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah.  From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.  His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”  In light of our analogy here, Micah 5:2 is like a play that God was calling in the “huddle” with Israel 700 years before the birth of Christ.  As Israel broke the huddle though, and prepared for the play, it would take millions of people in motion to pull off this “play” for the team.

Mary and Joseph did not live in Bethlehem.  They lived in Nazareth.  Nazareth was a small town about 70 miles from Bethlehem.  In a world without planes, trains, or automobiles, it was certainly not likely that Mary would give birth in Bethlehem.  So, in order for God’s play to unfold, everyone had to do his or her part to get Mary to Bethlehem.  Luke 2:1 tells us that Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census to be taken.  In order for all the people who lived in the Roman Empire to be counted, Caesar wanted everyone to travel to their ancestral home.  While Caesar did not do this intending to see the Messiah born in the proper town, God used Caesar’s decree to properly execute His play.  Imagine the scene . . . in order to get Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem (their ancestral home) at the time of Jesus birth, the decree for the census had to be issued at just the right time and would mandate that 4.2 million people would travel to their home towns to be counted.  (4.2 million is the count Caesar took from this census).

Think about that for a moment.  4.2 million people probably wondered why they were traveling . . . why they needed to be counted.  Even though the “ball” was not coming to them, they were playing an important part in the unfolding of God’s play.

As I ponder the significance of the 4.2 million people moving around the Mediterranean in response to Caesar’s decree, I am reminded that at times the events of my life will unfold in ways that have me playing a significant part in God’s plan, but will not feature me “getting the ball.”  We sometimes ask questions like “Why do I have this job?”  “What was that all about?”  “What was the point of that relationship/conversation/etc.?”  Usually when we ask these questions we ask them because we assume that we will be featured in the “play.”  In reality, we are always playing a part in God’s purposes, though sometimes we are not the ones getting the “ball.”  From Bethlehem we see that the unfolding of God’s will is ultimately a team experience.

Suggested song for today:  “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020

This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.”  Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.

December 2

Real Hope and Change (Isaiah 11:1-10)

Every four years we have a Presidential election.  These elections are hotly contested and often reveal a country that is very divided.  No matter how the election turns out, roughly half the country is going to be disappointed by the outcome.  In preparation for a Presidential election, both sides promise the moon.  Some people believe all the promises they hear during election season, while others are more cynical.  In the many years I have been voting, I have seen my hope in the political process deteriorate from idealism to a malaise.  The endless rhetoric of elections leave many tired and wounded.

Regardless of our political fatigue, however, it is hard to argue that who our leaders are makes a big difference in our lives.  This is true of the United States, and it was also true of the nation of Judah in Isaiah’s day.  When Isaiah wrote his prophecy (the Old Testament book of Isaiah), Judah was in political crisis.  After 52 years of being led by “good King Uzziah,” Judah was under different human leadership.  This troubled God’s people and increased anxiety about what would happen to the nation without their previous King.  God addressed their concerns through Isaiah’s prophecy.  In chapter 6, he reminded the nation that God was still on the throne.  In chapter 7, God promised relief from the attacks of Israel and Aram.  In chapter 11, however, God looks further into the future, to remind Judah that their ultimate leader will provide a peace that will dwarf the accomplishments of even their favorite King Uzziah!  Listen to what God promises to His people in Isaiah 11:1-10:

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.  And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  He will delight in obeying the Lord.  He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay.  He will defend the poor and the exploited.  He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of His mouth.  He will be clothed with fairness and truth.  In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace.  Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all.  The cattle will graze among bears.  Cubs and calves will lie down together.  And lions will eat grass as the livestock do.  Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes.  Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed.  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.  And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.  In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world.  The nations will rally to Him, for the land where He lives will be a glorious place.”

Wow.  What a campaign promise!  To a people facing uncertain national prospects, God promises a future leader who will restore peace . . . not just between people, but with all of nature!  This future leader could only be God Himself to accomplish such a task . . . God coming (as this passage indicates) in the form of a little child.  Jesus was to be the Branch of David’s tree that would be the Messiah for God’s people.  Isaiah wrote this 700 years before Jesus was born, but what is amazing for us today is that the ultimate fulfillment of these promises has yet to be realized.  Jesus will return to this earth one day to fulfill this campaign promise God made through Isaiah 2,700 years ago!  When Jesus comes again, He will establish a government on this earth where the wicked are no longer allowed to rule and the poor and exploited will have a true champion. As surely as Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so we look forward to this future reign of Christ on the earth (for more details of this time, look at Revelation 20.)

This Christmas season as you either celebrate or denigrate the latest chosen American political “Messiah”, I challenge you to lift your eyes up and gain perspective.  We know who the real Messiah is, and He is not a registered Republican or Democrat.  He is Jesus Christ, and the peace we long for will certainly come to pass one day when He returns.  To a people facing political crisis, God encourages us with the campaign promise of Isaiah 11.

Suggested song for today:  “Hallelujah Chorus”

In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day.  All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:

• Apple Music Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
• Spotify Playlist:  Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020