When Queen Elizabeth II first visited New York City, in 1957, the glamorous young monarch was welcomed with a ticker-tape parade befitting war heroes. She visited New York again on July 7, 2010 at age 84, but this time the fanfare was low key when she visited Ground Zero
For us as Christian, our Christmas celebration celebrates not the arrival of an earthly monarch but the arrival of God in all His majesty. But unlike a visiting monarch, Zechariah tells us something special, something extraordinary unexpected. God said “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you declares the LORD.”
Can you fathom what has transpired? Today we celebrate the birth of Christ. Today, the unexpected has come, God living among us, God dwelling not only in our midst but in our hearts. Though the reign of Queen Elizabeth II has spanned decades, it will eventually end. Though the monarch praised the United Nations for their efforts in a changing world, it’s the prophetic word of Zechariah that brings us lasting hope. The Scriptures promise “Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people.”
As we consider the Bethlehem story, there was no room in the Inn. If the birth of Jesus would have taken place in the Inn, it would have been a temporary residence. God is looking for a permanent residence; He wants to live with you. He wants to make you a Holy dwelling.
“We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, by our receiving His real stamp upon our souls; being made the partakers of the divine nature. This is, indeed, the design of His dwelling in us, to heal our disordered souls, and to restore that image of His upon our nature.” – John Wesley (DR ERNEST PEETS JR)