Today we celebrate not an idea, but an invasion.

The eternal Word did not shout from heaven.

He entered history as a child.

Omnipotence wrapped itself in dependence.

Holiness moved into the neighborhood of sinners.

Christmas declares that God does not save us from afar.

He comes near.

He takes on flesh.

He bears our weakness to heal it, our darkness to expose it, our death to defeat it.

The Prince of Peace was born into a world that did not want Him,

and still He came, full of grace and truth.

That is love.

That is humility.

That is joy strong enough to endure suffering and hope strong enough to outlast the grave.

May your hearts be anchored in His love,

your minds renewed by His truth,

your lives marked by the fruit of His Spirit

and your joy fixed on Jesus Christ,

the Light of the world,

the Savior of sinners,

the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas.