To Read: Matthew 1:20-21
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The Trinity is something to behold! Notice here in these small details how you see each person of the Trinity at work. All three persons of the Trinity are all equally God, sharing the same attributes, worthy of our worship, and yet eternally in relationship with one another. While all three are uniquely connected, they have different functions in the life of the believer. In simplest terms: The Father has planned our salvation, the Son executes the plan, coming to the earth and dying for sinners, and the Spirit applies that salvation to the hearts of those who trust in the Lord.
But here, what do you see? In the Father’s plan, you see the Spirit granting a child to his beloved servant, Mary. In this case, in the mission of God, it is the Spirit who is sending the Son to the earth. Later, after Jesus ascends to the Father, he will promise that the Father will send the Spirit. Look at his words in John 14:26 – “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
The Spirit will be sent by Father and Son in order to dwell in the hearts of all believers – but they are all three working together to bring about redemption to God’s creation. I love these moments where you see all three at work – another example of this is at the baptism of Jesus – you see Jesus being baptized by John, symbolizing his willingness to be sent down into death on our behalf, only to rise up again. You see the Father breaking into the earth saying, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.” And you see the Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove. We were made for relationship because we were made in the image of God – and he is always in relationship with the other members of the Trinity.
Jesus is the Greek name for Joshua, which means roughly “God saves.” That’s why there is an explanatory note here, “because he will save his people from their sins. Mary and Joseph are obeying the Word of the Lord fully – as he declared through his angel that his name must be Jesus. Do not be distracted this Christmas by other descriptions of Jesus – he is a sweet baby, he will be a great teacher, and moral example – but this is in his name: he’s the Savior! That’s who he is, and that’s why he came. When you worship him this Christmas, know that he was born for this reason – to set his people free from the shackles of their own sin. Praise be to God!
Song to Sing: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Another great Advent hymn with powerful lyrics. Take a look at these words:
Born Thy people to deliver,Born a child and yet a King,Born to reign in us forever,Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.By Thine own eternal SpiritRule in all our hearts alone;By Thine all sufficient merit,Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, apply these things to our hearts. Show us what is true about our Savior Jesus, and continue to grow us in our sanctification, make us more and more like Jesus, able to die to our sins and live a life pleasing to you. Give us joy this Christmas! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Echoes of Eden: Snow! It might not snow here – But think of the whiteness, the purity – the way the moonlight dances off of new-fallen snow. Remember Isaiah 1 – those our sins are like scarlet, he will make us white as snow.