Preparing for The Nativity Of our Lord

Since we are spending this Christmas in Zambia, we did not get to celebrate the western Christmas like we did in the U.S., with a tree, decorations and lots of shopping. But God-willing, we won't miss out on any celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord on January 7th. In fact, I feel myself stopping to think and pray in preparation of the Birth of Christ more than I ever did back home.

While we prepare with praises, prayers and fasting, God the Father, prepared for so long of the birth of His Only Begotten Son. After the fall, God never left Adam and Eve to cover themselves with Fig leaves, instead He began His plan by introducing them to being covered by animal skin, which came from a sacrifice--someone who's innocent dying for those who are not. He then repeated the same idea with Cain and Abel. From then on, the idea of sacrifice was introduced to the people of God, and was always burned offering. Our God then asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son, and after Abraham's obedience, God sends an animal to sacrifice to take the place of Isaac, saving him alive. The signs continue with the people of God, even under the harsh rule of the Egyptians. When God cursed the land of Egypt in their firstborn, the sign of the blood was what saved them. From then on, the people started realizing that blood is tied with salvation and sacrifice is tied with Salvation. The people continued to offer the sacrifice the Passover yearly in remembrance of their salvation from death in Egypt. The people continued throughout the ages to offer sacrifices, placing their hands on the animals to transfer their sin to innocent animals to be forgiven. The Lord was truly preparing his people for the His coming Salvation. (1 Cor 5:7) "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us"

They began to understand that sin, is a separation from God and if that does not get taken away they can never get closed to God. They knew that the sin was against an unlimited God, therefore the limited animal sacrifices would never be sufficient for Salvation and so they waited. Meanwhile, God gave them many prophesies of the coming of the Messiah like in (Isaiah 53:6) "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" Until now they know that one sacrifice suffices for one person, but who is that will be a sacrifice to lay upon Him the "iniquity of us all"?

Finally, God now began His preparation for the actual Birth of His Son. He had to choose the virgin that would carry His Son. She must be full of purity, full of patience, full of humility. No one fulfilled these and many more virtues, other than our mother St. Mary. God also prepared the way though St. John the Baptist, one who is also humble enough to say that "He must increase and I must decrease" (John 3:30). He also had to be born of Godly parents like Elizabeth and Zachariah. Finally, He sent His messenger Archangel Gabriel (Meaning "Power of God") to announce the Birth of Christ to St. Mary. God also prepared a saintly man, Joseph, to accept his betrothed to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Now, in the fullness of time, Christ was born of the virgin, St. Mary. All of these people came together, at the same time, in the fullness of time to prepare for the coming our Lord. May the birth of our Lord always be a blessing to us and a true celebration of a beautiful beginning of the story of our Salvation.

Happy Feast of the Nativity!