“The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him?’”  Matt. 8:27

The account of Jesus’ calming the storm while he and the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee is not a story you would expect to hear at Christmas, but in fact, it goes to the heart of what the Advent season is all about.  The essence of Christmas is not gifts or family or carols or well wishes or traditions.  It is about who Jesus is really, which has always been the the great separation between those who truly understand Christmas and those who only wish to celebrate a “holiday”.

The account of the virgin birth in Luke 1 makes it clear that Jesus was born fully human, yet something more.  Born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit through the power of the Most High, the man born to Mary and named Jesus, or Immanuel (God with us) was both fully human and fully God.  The question asked by the disciples, who had been with Jesus and seen his humanity, revealed that they had become keenly aware that this man, Jesus, was a uniquely different kind of man.

Had they not already experienced and observed his genuine humanity, they would not have been surprised by the demonstration of his power and authority over nature itself.  Now they saw this man not like any other man, and so the question they were forced to resolve was “what kind of man is this?”  And that is the question for which Christmas must always demand an answer.  The answer: Incarnate God.

FANNING THE FLAME

How will you communicate to your children and grandchildren this Christmas the significance of Jesus’ full humanity – born of a virgin, and his full deity – conceived by the power of the Most High God?  It starts by telling the story from Luke 1.  Traditions like the Advent Wreath also help teach our children the complete story.  Help your grandchildren grasp Christmas as the story of the greatest GIFT ever given to mankind.

GRANDPAUSE: “The Lord Himself will give you a sign:  The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isa. 7:14