The Magic Moment of Christmas
Monday, December 25, 2023
The time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6, 7, NIV.
Every woman, as she nears her time, wonders, How will it be? Those who have gone before talk about the intensity of pain, the breathing, the pushing, the exhilaration of anticipation, and finally, the birth of the baby itself. Although each birth is special, something about the first especially tugs at the heart and body of each mother.
I remember my first-remember exactly where I was standing, and what I was wearing when I felt that first contraction of my abdominal muscles. Then 18.5 hours later, the final push, the cry, and the announcement “It’s a girl!” Fulfillment!
But the magic moment was when I held this 7.5-pound miracle to my breast and felt the bonding knot the two of us together in a relationship that only a mother can understand.
As I ponder the magic moment of that first Christmas, when the angel announced to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day . . . a Saviour,” and the angel choir sang “Glory to God in the highest,” what was that young mother experiencing at that moment when she first held “God in the flesh” to her breast? I wish the scene had been recorded. But God the Father in love allowed this intimate moment to be shielded from public view. There was no doctor, midwife, or attending family, at least that we know of-only Mary and the Baby, and the earthly father God had chosen for His Son.
God loves families. And God has provided a means by which they can become bonded. Touch! Mary through the Baby’s touch to her breast. And Joseph? . . .
As her contractions intensified, I see Joseph ready himself for a task women were expected to perform. I visualize him reaching for the head of that Baby as it emerged, and then with the final contraction, his hands become the first to touch the world’s Saviour.
Touch is what Christmas is all about. Touch is what Christ did coming to this earth. Touch is why families come together at Christmas. And touch is the magic moment of Christmas.
Thank You, Jesus, for touching me with Your love. Which person should I touch for You today?
Every woman, as she nears her time, wonders, How will it be? Those who have gone before talk about the intensity of pain, the breathing, the pushing, the exhilaration of anticipation, and finally, the birth of the baby itself. Although each birth is special, something about the first especially tugs at the heart and body of each mother.
I remember my first-remember exactly where I was standing, and what I was wearing when I felt that first contraction of my abdominal muscles. Then 18.5 hours later, the final push, the cry, and the announcement “It’s a girl!” Fulfillment!
But the magic moment was when I held this 7.5-pound miracle to my breast and felt the bonding knot the two of us together in a relationship that only a mother can understand.
As I ponder the magic moment of that first Christmas, when the angel announced to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day . . . a Saviour,” and the angel choir sang “Glory to God in the highest,” what was that young mother experiencing at that moment when she first held “God in the flesh” to her breast? I wish the scene had been recorded. But God the Father in love allowed this intimate moment to be shielded from public view. There was no doctor, midwife, or attending family, at least that we know of-only Mary and the Baby, and the earthly father God had chosen for His Son.
God loves families. And God has provided a means by which they can become bonded. Touch! Mary through the Baby’s touch to her breast. And Joseph? . . .
As her contractions intensified, I see Joseph ready himself for a task women were expected to perform. I visualize him reaching for the head of that Baby as it emerged, and then with the final contraction, his hands become the first to touch the world’s Saviour.
Touch is what Christmas is all about. Touch is what Christ did coming to this earth. Touch is why families come together at Christmas. And touch is the magic moment of Christmas.
Thank You, Jesus, for touching me with Your love. Which person should I touch for You today?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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