Family Advent Devotional: The Virtues of Christmas Week 3

With Christmas fast approaching, in addition to reading this third devotional post on Christmas faith, let us purpose to read the Christmas story as a part of our Christmas family tradition. Make a plan to read Luke 1:26-38 on Christmas Eve and Luke 2:1-21 on Christmas morning. Inform your wife and children of your plan to read through the Christmas story so they can help you remember.

Christmas Faith

In the animated Christmas movie, The Polar Express, the boy who rides the train on a journey to the North Pole has no name, as he represents every child. The main theme of the story and the key question the boy must answer is, “Do you believe?” This question is crucial in the story, for the magic bell he receives at the North Pole can only be heard by those who believe.

While the story’s question, “Do you believe?” is the key question of Christmas, the correct person we must believe in is Jesus, not Santa. It is not enough to know the Christmas story of God’s love in sending his Son Jesus. We must put our faith in that plan. Faith trusts in the love of Christmas. “Belief” or “faith” is the second virtue of Christmas and is the doorway through which we walk to inherit our salvation. Let’s explore a bit of the history of faith in the Bible.

The Bible presents the story of Abraham’s faith as an example for us. God promised Abraham that his children would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17). This promise came to Abraham and his wife Sarah when they were too old to have children (Genesis 18:11). But God did a miracle and gave them a son, Isaac.

To test Abraham’s faith, God told him to sacrifice Isaac. While Abraham did not fully understand this request, he believed God would keep his promise. As he raised the knife, God called out to stop him. Abraham passed the test. In place of Abraham’s son, God provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice.

God counted Abraham’s faith as righteousness. This means that, even though Abraham was a sinner with a stained record of sin, God counted his faith in God’s plan as righteousness.

So, what does all this have to do with Christmas? Well, the ram that God provided as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac is a picture of Jesus, who God provided on the first Christmas. Jesus is the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is the promised future Christmas son of Abraham who takes our sin away. Abraham was saved by believing in God’s future plan, and we are saved by looking back with faith in Jesus. The most important question for us all is, “Do we believe that Jesus died for our sin and rose from the grave for our justification?” You might say the Christmas question is, “Do you believe?”

Jesus asked Martha that question a few days after her brother Lazarus died. Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, but Jesus did not come, for he planned to raise Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus finally arrived, Martha ran to meet him. She spoke to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Jesus said that Lazarus would rise again.

Martha agreed, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (John 11:24). Then, Jesus called Martha to believe. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26).

“Do you believe?” is the Christmas question that rings out through history. Mary believed when Gabriel gave her the news that she was to carry the Savior in her womb and give birth to the Messiah. The shepherds believed the song of the angels and went with haste to Bethlehem to see the baby. The wise men believed as they studied the prophets of old and followed the star to bring gifts to the infant king. The blind and the lame believed that Jesus could heal them. Martha believed that Jesus could raise the dead, and we today are called to believe that Jesus, born on Christmas day, lived a perfect life, died to take our punishment, and rose from the dead in victory on the third day. The Christmas question of faith comes to us. How will you answer the question? Do you believe?