The Evolution of Tony

This Christmas season, we will all do the same things we have always done. We will spend time shopping, decorating our homes, singing Christmas carols. We will even spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for parking spaces. But this year, I would encourage you to set aside some extra time and really think about what the birth of our savior means to you.

When I think of Christmas, I think of lots of things. First, I think of his birth and how He was delivered to this earth in the form of a defenseless baby. Jesus didn’t come to earth with a big flash or as some mighty, fearful presence. He could have. No, He came as a baby. To grow up in this corrupt world and experience it firsthand. Jesus came here the same way you and I did. He had a mother and a father. He came helpless and dependent on others. He did this in order to be like us, not apart from us.

Imagine the impact on the characters involved that evening. Mary, holding the baby that had been planted inside her by the Holy Spirit, wondering in awe what the future held for Him as well as her. And Joseph, who had encountered an angel who explained God’s plan for his wife as well as his “Son.” And the shepherds in the field who all of a sudden saw angels filling the sky declaring the birth. Or the wise men seeing an unusual, star in the sky that pronounced the birth. All were changed forever, as are we when we recognize the true meaning of Christmas and give our lives to the one who’s birth we are celebrating.

I also think of how difficult His life was. Can you imagine all that He went through? First of all, He gave up life in Heaven! A place without corruption or sin. A place of nothing but love. And in return, he was given mankind. And although there were many who loved Him and worshiped Him, there were also a bunch of people who would doubt His every move. Make accusations against Him, hate Him, chase Him across the land, judge Him, beat Him and even nail Him to a cross and leave Him to die. He knew this since the very beginning of time! And yet, He chose to come here so that He could deliver us from our sin and open the doors to our Father in heaven. Quite simply, it’s breathtaking.

Jesus was born into this world to give us our freedom. Those who aren’t in the word might say just the opposite. They say that we live in a world of rules and judgments. I would say that we live in a world of hope! Jesus was born into a world of rules and judgments, but his life set us free from all of that. He was given to us as a sacrifice so that we could live a life of freedom. Our faith and dedication and love of Him guarantees us an eternal life.