The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have see his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Thousands of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God told His people over and over again that He would be coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ.  He was going to reveal Himself once and for all.  For thousands of years, God’s people waited. Then, He came.  This is the essence of Christmas – not the good feelings or the magic of the season, but God revealing Himself fully and completely through Jesus.  Make no mistake about it: The same God who created and sustains the universe became an embryo n a virgin’s womb so that he could enter our broken world and give us eternal life.

Don’t ever forget that the One who created the universe was the baby in the manger, and that baby in the manger would one day die on the cross to redeem all those who would come to Him. And that same Creator, no longer a baby in a manger, will one day return to judge the world and deliver His children safely to their heavenly home.  What a promise!

Did you know that for every one Scripture reference to the first coming of Christ, there are eight Scripture references to His second coming?

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites who waited generations for the promised Messiah.  What promises did they dwell on that we, too, can cling to in this time of waiting?

(Taken from an Advent Devotional written by Michael Youssef)