“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, following the death of his wife and in the midst of the American Civil War. The sixth stanza reads: “And in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said; ‘For hate is strong, And mocks the song, Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’” Despite his grief, he clung to hope and faith: “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good- will to men.’”

Jesus was born as our Prince of Peace (v. 14; Isa. 9:6). The word “peace,” or shalom in Hebrew, means well-being, flourishing, and wholeness. Whereas sin had made us enemies of God, Christ made possible peace with God (Rom. 5:1). Sin had broken human relationships, but Christ has made possible peace witPeace is given to “those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). As we know from our month’s study, God’s “favor” or grace rests on those who trust in the name of His Son for salvation. This is the only way to please God. On our own, shalom is unattainable. That’s why Christ came, and that’s why He’ll come again. When He returns, the whole earth will enjoy shalom and worship Him alone (Isa. 9:1–10).

The shepherds modeled the best possible response to this good news (Luke 2:10–11): In faith, they heeded the angels’ message and went to find the baby (vv. 15–16). In faith, they told others about their amazing experience (vv. 17–18). In faith, they gave all the glory to God (v. 20).

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In the United States, Christmas involves lots of money. During one recent Christmas, $22.7 billion was spent in retail department stores…in December alone! Nearly 50 million Christmas trees were sold, including 27.4 million real ones and 21.1 million fake ones. And, last year, the average American family planned to spend $794 on gifts during Christmas.

It is clear that we can easily forget the true reason for the season! Christmas is first and foremost about Jesus. He came, not to usher in a heartwarming holiday but to save us from our sins (v. 21). In the words of Paul: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

After Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, an angel told Joseph the news in a dream. Joseph was Mary’s fiancé, and her story of a “virgin birth” didn’t sound very believable. Still, Joseph was a good man and didn’t want to embarrass Mary publicly, so he’d decided to divorce her quietly (engagement was a more binding relationship in that culture than in ours). When the angel confirmed the truth of Mary’s news (v. 20), as did Scripture (vv. 22–23), Joseph had an important choice to make. It wasn’t automatic. He chose to trust his fiancée, trust God, believe in a humanly impossible conception, and prepare for gossip and ridicule from the world.

From this perspective, Joseph’s obedience seems extraordinary (vv. 24–25). He acted as soon as he awoke, without delay. He took a big risk in both his relationship with Mary and his walk with the Lord. By faith, he accepted the impossible as true. He even held off on consummating the marriage so there would be no questions later about the virgin birth of Christ. Last but not least, he obediently named the baby Jesus.

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Once King David was securely established on his throne, he wanted to build a temple for the Lord. God told him no, but also made a remarkable promise: “The LORD himself will establish a house for you” (2 Sam. 7:11). God’s faithful love would never be withdrawn from the line of David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (v. 16).

And we know the rest of the story! God’s covenant with David was fulfilled in the person of Jesus, Son of David (Luke 1:32–33). Today begins a four-day stretch of Christmas readings, starting with Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, called the Annunciation. The Eternal Word would become flesh, literally, in her womb (John 1:14). God would be one of us, and be with us—Immanuel (Isa. 7:14).

The baby’s name would be Jesus, the Greek form of Joshua, meaning “the Lord saves” (Luke 1:31). He would be “the Son of the Most High” or the “Son of God,” that is, the second person of the Trinity (vv. 32, 35). As the Messiah and a descendant of King David (see the genealogies in both Matthew and Luke), He would be given the throne of David and fulfill God’s promise (vv. 32–33).

There would be no biological father, though Joseph would become Jesus’ human father. Mary was a virgin. The life inside her would be conceived by God (v. 35). This is a miracle but not necessarily that surprising, given that God is the source of all life and made the first man out of dust, the first woman out of a rib.

Mary’s response was filled with faith, submission, and humility, despite the sheer size of the news and its unprecedented nature. Gabriel encouraged her with the reminder, “No word from God will ever fail” (v. 37).

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“Death be not proud,” begins a famous Holy Sonnet by poet John Donne, “though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.” Donne addresses Death as a person, saying it has no real power, but is rather “slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men.” He compares it to rest or sleep, even as pleasurable. In the end: “One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.”

Like Donne, we can say that death has no real power, for the Lord Jesus has conquered it once and for all! As Jesus told Martha in today’s reading, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v. 25). We’ve already seen that Christ is our Risen Lord (Dec. 9), and that He’s the “firstborn from among the dead” (Col. 1:18). Today’s narrative builds on these truths.

When Christ heard that His friend Lazarus was sick, He deliberately delayed in order to bring God greater glory (v. 4) and to strengthen His disciples’ faith (v. 15). He knew exactly what would happen. Of course, no one else had the foggiest notion. The idea that death could be reversed was so outside their paradigm that even when responding in faith—as Martha did in her powerful confession (v. 27)—they didn’t see it coming. They believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus if He’d come sooner. They believed Lazarus would be raised in the future. But now? After he’d been in the tomb four days? No way.

The fact is, though, that even prior to His death and resurrection, Jesus was Lord over death. He is life and source of all life. He brought Lazarus back to life with a simple command (v. 43), a miracle that brought many to faith in Him (vv. 42, 45). Lazarus presumably died again at a later date, for Christ was the first to be resurrected with a glorified body.

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When Father Christmas entered Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, he brought gifts. For Peter, there was a sword and a shield emblazoned with a red lion. For Susan, there was a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a magical horn. For Lucy, there was a small dagger and a bottle of healing cordial.

These gifts were not on their wish lists. They were not given for personal enjoyment. They had purposes within the larger story. The same is true of spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ. They are given to believers for the purpose of serving one another and mutual edification (vv. 11–12). The goal is maturity in both doctrine and practice, “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (vv. 13–16). All of God’s people are to use their spiritual gifts in this way, not just those in professional or vocational ministry.

The Head of the Body is Christ Himself (v. 15; Col. 1:18). As we know from our own experience, a body without a head will no longer function. The head is the brains of the operation. The head runs the show. The same is true in this metaphor: Christ has complete authority over the church, including both local churches and the church universal. Whereas human beings tend to exercise their authority for prideful or self-centered ends, Christ exercises His authority for our good and His glory.

Paul wrote here that Christ gives spiritual gifts (v. 11), whereas elsewhere he said the Holy Spirit distributes them (1 Cor. 12:4). This, as with being the Creator (see December 3), is another both/and situation. Since the Son and the Spirit are both God, they can both be said to be the One who gives spiritual gifts.

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In Tell It Slant, Eugene Peterson advised reading Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17 with a calm and attentive heart: “Jesus is no longer talking to us. Jesus is talking to the Father. Jesus is praying. He prays a long time. This is holy ground. We find ourselves embraced in a holy listening. We are in a place of prayer, a praying presence. Our mouths are stopped. We are quiet: be still my soul.”

This chapter reveals Christ at work as our Great High Priest. His roles as high priest, advocate, and mediator overlap to some extent in that they each show part of what He does for us in salvation (see also Heb. 4:14–16).

First, Christ prayed for Himself, asking that He would be glorified by finishing His mission of redemption and bringing people to the Father (vv. 1–5). Next, He prayed for His disciples to be protected, unified, sanctified, and sustained against the evil one and the hatred of the world (vv. 6–19). He also prayed for them as messengers of the gospel (v. 18). As we know, these requests were powerfully granted!

Finally, Jesus prayed for future believers, including you and me (v. 20). He asked that we would be unified in the same way He and the Father are (vv. 21–23). Why? “So that the world may believe.” He also asked that we would be in heaven with Him one day (v. 24). He closed by affirming that He has indeed revealed the Father to all who trust in Him (vv. 25–26).

Jesus is our Great High Priest, but as believers we are “priests” as well (see, for example, Rev. 1:6). Part of what this means is that we have the tremendous privilege of interceding for one another in prayer, just as our Lord did.

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Perry Mason was the title character in a popular series of novels, radio programs, and finally a television series set in Los Angeles starring Raymond Burr. The fictional lawyer specialized in advocating for the innocent, mostly people who had been wrongly accused of murder. Perry Mason epitomized a good lawyer, striving to help those in need.

The Bible uses this type of legal language, saying that Jesus is our advocate before God the Father. God’s amazing grace is key to understanding salvation. In today’s reading, the apostle John wrote to believers about what to do when sin occurs in our life after our initial salvation. Just as grace and forgiveness were at work in our justification, so also we find them at work in our sanctification.

Every follower of Christ must walk in the light and pursue righteous living (1:5–7). It’s the key to having fellowship with God and with one another. The question naturally arises, then, “What happens when we sin?” What we must first understand is that we will sin (1:8, 10). It’s going to happen. God’s work in us is not yet finished.

When we do sin, we must confess our wrongdoing to God. That means repenting of our sin and turning from it, knowing God has promised to forgive us (1:9). It’s in this context that we can fully appreciate the role of Jesus as our Advocate (2:1). As the perfectly Righteous One, He speaks on our behalf before God the Judge, saying, in essence, “I have already paid the price for this believer’s sin. No penalty remains. Please grant more grace and forgiveness.” In other words, Christ’s atoning sacrifice has already taken care of matters (2:2). His blood has cleansed and purified us, and continues to cleanse and purify us, from sin (1:7, 9).

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How soon we forget the lessons we are taught! During the Last Supper, Jesus’ disciples argued about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24–27). Like many, they anticipated a Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule and establish a kingdom, and they wanted powerful positions. They each considered themselves especially worthy! Jesus rebuked them, saying, “I am among you as one who serves” (v. 27).

Their discussion is even more surprising considering that earlier that same evening, Jesus had shown them a stunning example of servanthood. In that time and place, foot washing met a practical need, but was done by servants, not a rabbi. When Jesus washed their feet, His bewildered disciples didn’t know how to react. To see their esteemed teacher wrap a towel around His waist, get a basin of water, and wash their filthy feet was shocking.

What motivated Christ to model humility in this way? First, His sense of God’s plan (John 13:1). He was perfectly clear about His identity, origins, mission, and authority (v. 3). Second, He loved the disciples. This included not only Peter and his clumsy attempt to avoid being served (vv. 6–10) but also Judas whose betrayal has already begun (vv. 2, 11). And third, because “taking the very nature of a servant” was an essential part of His mission of redemption (Phil. 2:5–8).

We’re not greater than Jesus. So, if we don’t follow His example, the failure to serve is a sin of pride (John 13:14–16). Genuine service, on the other hand, is motivated by love and brings about blessing (vv. 17, 35). As Paul explained, biblical freedom is characterized by humble service to one another (Gal. 5:13).

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