The Early Promise
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.
—Genesis 3:14-15 KJV
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
—Isaiah 9:2-7 KJV
Mary’s Magnificat
And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His Name.
And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.
He hath showed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to His seed for ever.
—Luke 1:46-55 KJV
The Christmas Story
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
— Luke 2:1-20 KJV
Liberty
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
—Galatians 5:1
A Celebration of the Coming of Christ!
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
—Isaac Watts
The Mature Christian
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
—2 Corinthians 10:3-6 KJV
Comment
Sin destroyed the earthly paradise. Isaiah spoke of the promised Savior breaking the back of tyranny and oppression. Mary rejoiced over a salvation that begins in the earth—in time and place—and expands to eternity. God humbles tyrants, and elevates the humble. Under this new kingdom of Christ—administered by wise and humble, godly men—the elite, arrogant ruling class, with its gigantic peasantry underclass, yield to a prosperous middle class walking in liberty and justice. Early Christian America significantly attained the reality of such a middle class. Though with many flaws, America achieved some of the highest institutional expressions ever known of justice, liberty, prosperity and generosity.
Here is no place for bragging. Rather we should weep over what we have squandered. Yet, we should also be full of hopeful joy, because as Christ said upon the cross, it is finished! That is, Christ accomplished everything needed for the fulfillment of the Scriptures, though we do not yet see its fullness. For now, Christ rules at the right hand of the Father, in the midst of His enemies, through His volunteers (Psalm 110).
Just so, do all the promises of Christ’s Kingdom everywhere in Scripture give us cause for rejoicing. Let us look to our Savior for all that Christ’s salvation means. Let us rejoice in the coming of Christ, and exalt Him in all our actions, self-consciously and with preparation for duty by faith. Let this Christmastide become the celebration of our true deliverance—from sin within, and from injustice, tyranny and want without—all as a down payment toward eternal fellowship with our Lord and each other.
Isaac Watts and his contemporaries understood the completeness of Christ’s salvation. The American Pilgrim understood. Christ’s kingdom come; His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The Savior has come to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found—everywhere!
Christ reigns and waits. He will punish all disobedience when the believers’ obedience is fulfilled.
Amen!
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
—editor
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