“Peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.” Luke 2:14
Lord Jesus, how can it be? We’re just a tad over 3 weeks from Christmas Eve—the night angels broke forth with this everything-changing proclamation: “Peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.” Simultaneously the “heavenly host” was heralding your birth and a reality nearly impossible for us to imagine. The two go hand in hand.
Everything our hearts crave is crammed into this one doxological declaration. We want favor—to be desired and delighted in, forever validated and perpetually celebrated. But most of the time we look for favor in people, circumstances, and things that cannot possibly fulfill the depth of our Jesus-shaped craving. We look to stuff like:
A romance that craves us and children who adore us. Companies that promote us and groups that honor us. More friends who “get” us and less people who judge us. More signs of wealth and less signs of aging. More control over others and less disappointment from others… among many, many other destined-to-fail wannabe Jesus-substitutes.
The favor we crave can only be found in the peace you can give by the price that you paid. It’s what Christmas is all about. It’s why you came into our world. Christmas Eve’s cradle and Good Friday’s cross speak louder than 10,000 heavenly hosts of the greatness of our need and the even-greater-ness of your grace. Jesus, you took the disfavor we deserve to give us the delight we cannot imagine. Hallelujah!
You are 100% of our “righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1Cor.1:30). You fill the Grand Canyon of our need with the fullness of who you are. That’s why, and only why, we can be certain of living in the unparalleled, unwavering, unfiltered favor of God. We believe, help our unbelief, Jesus. We love you; we want to love you SO much more. So Very Amen.
