Is there anything more amazing then holding a newborn baby in your arms? Their tiny little fingers and toes, the funny faces they make, even that new baby smell! Recently my “baby” daughter turned 16 years old. It seems like just a breath ago I was cradling her in the hospital. The first time I held her I even sang a new song to her and gave her a spontaneous nickname. (She’s no longer a fan of “butterbean” though 🙂 A new life – a new creation – perhaps God’s greatest gift.
I’ve been thinking about my newborn child in the context of our theme for this school year “New in Christ” based on 2 Corinthians 5:17. How appropriate it is at this time of year to focus on the “new creation” this verse talks about. Christmas is all about the miracle of the baby Jesus – His birth, life, death, and resurrection are the one and only source of the new life in Christ we have been given. The Christmas story is an old one but a constant source of new hope; the simple tale of this baby in a manger is the ultimate creation story. I’m not a baby any more (although I sometimes whine like one) but in Jesus I am new – a creation not of this earth but rather a product of Jesus miraculous birth and ultimate sacrifice. I rejoice in the blessing of each new day – including December 25th when I’m reminded that Merry Christmas means Merry New Creation in my life and yours. Rejoice and celebrate Christmas because it means you have been made new!