The whole story, from inception to the later visit of the wisemen was less than three years in totality, a mere moment in mankind’s 6,000 year history. The main event itself lasted only a few hours and occurred within the confines of a lowly stable. Yet, this moment of eternal grace, when God became man, separated B.C. from A.D. and brought hope through redemption to every tongue, tribe, and nation, and to every man, woman, and child. This is the glory of the Christmas story.
Before earthly time, energy, and matter were formed, God the Father, according to the counsel of His eternal will, ordained that His only begotten Son would come to earth in the form of a baby, live a sinless life, propitiate the wrath of God against sin, and willingly lay down His life on a wooden cross to pay the price that sin demands. In this moment of grace, He caused Joseph and Mary’s paths to cross in the vicinity of the unassuming village of Nazareth. This led to their betrothal. In a moment of grace, Gabriel announced to the young woman that the Holy Ghost would come upon her, the power of the Most High would overshadow her, she would conceive, and her child would be called the Son of God.
In this moment of grace alone some 50 specific Bible prophecies of the birth of Christ would be fulfilled, including being born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), the location of the birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), Christ being part of the lineage of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), and becoming a part of the royal line of David (Jeremiah 23:5,6.) Scholars estimate there are between 300 – 400 prophecies fulfilled through Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, making it clear that He indeed is the Son of God.
The glory of these moments of grace is that they are not limited to the past. Up to this very Christmas season, consider the moments of grace God has poured upon your life, from the spouse that shares your home to the children He has given you. Think about the moment of grace He gave you when He opened your eyes to your need of a Savior, and you discovered the peace in serving Christ and the contentment in knowing all your trespasses against Him have been forgiven. Contemplate the moment of grace when He began to stir your heart about home discipleship, and the profound effect it has had on your legacy.
Moments of grace are not restricted from God to man but are also between men because it is more blessed to give than receive. This annual celebration of grace that we call Christmas should motivate us to seek to make every month “the most wonderful time of the year” through displaying moments of grace between spouses, siblings, friends, and even strangers. A moment of grace may be forgiveness of an offense, especially an unintentional one, just like Christ has done for us so many times throughout our lives. A moment of grace could come in the form of words of encouragement even if we ourselves might be going through a difficult time. A special skill or resource might be an answer to prayer for someone who is needing a moment of grace from God.
Just over two thousand years ago, one moment of God’s grace changed everything for those of us who trust in Christ for our redemption. If we call ourselves Christians, may we also seek to be channels of grace to a lost and dying world in need of the Good News.
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