For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

— Isaiah 9:6

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

11 Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!”

— Luke 2:10-11, 13-14

76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,

77 to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,

79 to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

–Luke 1:76-79

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, salvation and joy to you from the incarnated God, the Savior Jesus Christ.

This is the season again when we celebrate the greatest event in the history of the world: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His birth, death, and resurrection transformed the world forever. One of the many blessings that accompanied the birth of Jesus was the gift of hope for flawed people living in a fallen world. Because He lives, you and I have hope. No matter how dark our personal circumstances may seem at any given point in time, we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Jesus Christ. Therefore when we walk with the Lord, we walk in hope.

Because God loves men very much, He always actively involves in and concerns about human life on this earth. God became a man, taking on human flesh, to dwell among human beings. He came into humanity by being born as Jesus, meaning Jehovah my Savior, for providing a way for humanity to be saved from sin. His coming into humanity, being crucified on cross, shedding His blood as a sacrificed innocent Lamb is to take away our sins and to redeem humanity from the cruel slavery of sin, to meet God’s righteous requirement and to appease the righteous wrath of God for sinners like us. He came to become our Savior to give humanity a living hope of the eternal life.