The Secret of Christmas That Shook Us

Luke(눅) 1:26-38

Hallelujah! May the grace and peace of our Lord be with us all. Next week marks the beginning of Christmas week, and the following week is the final Sunday of the year. It is already time to wrap up another year. Each year, we await Christmas with various preparations, yet it is easy to lose sight of its true meaning. Amidst the dazzling decorations and gifts, are we truly beholding the birth of Jesus and rejoicing in its significance? Christmas is not merely an event of the past but a manifestation of God’s great grace that we can still experience in our lives today. When we truly see the birth of Jesus, the joy it brings becomes indescribable.

But many people do not realize that we can experience and enjoy this joy even today. I would like to share a message about this. Countless people knew from the Scriptures that the Son of God would come into this world for salvation, yet only a very few experienced the joy of meeting the baby Jesus when He was born. Christmas is the miraculous testimony of Emmanuel, where the Almighty God took on human form and came to dwell among us. Emmanuel means “God is with us.”

The miracle of Emmanuel is God’s grace that transcends time, granted to those who earnestly long for and await the Lord. I would like to share this miraculous truth of Emmanuel in the following ways. First, Emmanuel was revealed to the world through Mary’s acceptance of God’s will. Second, the testimony of Emmanuel through Mary was completed through Joseph’s obedience. Third, the God who revealed Emmanuel continues to make Him known to the world through our obedience. Now, let me elaborate further.

First, Emmanuel was revealed to the world through Mary’s acceptance of God’s will. The process unfolded as follows: The angel Gabriel was sent by God to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Here, Mary’s mission was to conceive and give birth to a child as a virgin, without any relationship with a man. How could such a thing be possible? Unsurprisingly, Mary questioned, saying, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. For no word from God will ever fail.” Upon hearing this, Mary immediately responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” She set aside her human reasoning and fully accepted God’s word.

Likewise, when we hold the faith to say, “May it be to me as you have said,” to the Lord who gives us our mission, the Lord becomes one with us and uses our lives for His purpose. The life of Jesus was consistently a testimony of fulfilling His mission, as reflected in phrases like, “This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet,” or, “To fulfill the Scripture.” We, too, must have the faith to say, “May it be to me as you have said.” Just as the Lord was conceived in Mary, the Lord will come into each of us through His Word. That Word will become our life, and Jesus will be revealed within each of us, testifying that He dwells among His people.

At this moment, each of us, like Mary, can experience the indescribable joy of Christmas. The joy of Christmas is the joy of encountering the Lord who saves us. The challenge, however, is that having such faith is akin to Mary, a virgin, bearing a child. Her betrothed, Joseph, had to understand and accept her situation. Without his support, her condition could have been misinterpreted as the greatest disgrace, potentially leading to her being stoned to death according to the culture of that time. Thus, Mary’s consent signified a faith that involved self-denial and taking up her cross. It was an act of courageous resolve, entrusting her life entirely to God’s will. Through this, Mary demonstrated a faith that surrendered everything to the purposes of God.

Today, we too face moments in life when hearing God’s Word requires us to set aside our own safety and comfort to obey Him. For example, when confronted with corruption at work or injustice around us, it can be frightening to act according to God’s Word and maintain a clear conscience. However, like Mary, when we confess, “May it be to me as you have said,” we can experience the miracle of God being with us. This is why, unless we deny ourselves and take up our cross, our human nature resists such faith. To our flesh, such faith may seem frightening, daunting, or even foolish. This is where many of you may find your inner struggles. Yet, it is through these struggles and acts of obedience that we truly experience Emmanuel—God with us—and the transformative power of His presence in our lives.

It is important to discern what causes us to reject and rebel against such faith within ourselves. Our original nature, created in the image of God, was designed to receive a mission from the Lord—our Creator and Master—with joy and to respond in obedience, saying, “May it be to me as you have said.” However, due to the disobedience of the first humans, Adam and Eve, who were deceived by the lies of the devil, their descendants—humanity—have also been misled by the devil’s deceit, resulting in disobedience to God’s Word. Therefore, rejecting the fulfillment of God’s Word through us is ultimately the work of the devil, who stands in opposition to God.

However, as those who have been saved, we are people whom the Lord has purchased with His own blood and offered to God. This is why we are called “saints.” The term “saint” means a person dedicated to God. Therefore, instead of following our own nature, we must confess, like Mary, “May it be to me as you have said,” in order to obey God’s Word. When this confession becomes a sincere declaration, the devil, who deceives us from within, will depart. Through such a life, God works in this world. May you become saints who are used by God in this way.

Second, the testimony of Emmanuel through Mary was completed through Joseph’s obedience. Let us now examine the grace of God that came to Joseph. Before Mary and Joseph came together, it was revealed that she was pregnant through the Holy Spirit. When Joseph, her betrothed, heard this news, he was greatly troubled and afraid. Who could have told Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy was by the Holy Spirit? It was likely Mary herself. Since she conceived before they lived together, she would have needed to explain everything in detail. Even though Mary shared the truth with Joseph, he found it difficult to believe her.

However, Joseph was a righteous man. Knowing Mary’s character and faith, he did not condemn her hastily. Instead, he contemplated how to end their relationship quietly. In such a situation, what could Mary do? All she could do was pray and praise God, trusting that He works all things together for good. And how did God work in this situation? God gave Joseph a dream. In the dream, an angel assured Joseph that what was conceived in Mary was from the Holy Spirit, confirming it with the prophetic words spoken long ago.

The angel also said, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel’—which means ‘God with us.’” Through this dream, God confirmed His divine plan and gave Joseph the courage to believe and obey. In doing so, He completed the miracle of faith that began with Mary’s obedience.

When God revealed His Word through the angel in a dream, Joseph could no longer doubt. The message Joseph received was not merely a consolation but a confirmation of the authority and fulfillment of God’s Word. Like Mary, Joseph believed that the words spoken through the prophet had to be fulfilled through him. Once Joseph became certain of God’s will through the dream, he was able to cast aside his fears. Trusting that God had chosen him for this purpose, Joseph immediately brought Mary into his home as his wife. What does this teach us? It demonstrates that faith is strengthened when we are assured of God’s Word and His divine purpose. It shows the importance of overcoming fear through trust in God’s plan and the willingness to act in obedience, even when circumstances seem daunting or incomprehensible. Joseph’s response serves as a powerful example of faith that submits to God’s will and fulfills His purposes.

The Lord said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” speaking of Emmanuel. Here, the gathering of two or three refers to the church. Therefore, Emmanuel is testified to the world through the church. Dear beloved saints, like Mary and Joseph, there will be moments when we must lay aside the opinions of others or the standards of the world as we trust in God’s guidance. For example, making a decision to follow God’s will in the midst of family issues or financial struggles is not easy, but when we do, we will experience how God works in our lives. When those closest to us, who should believe in the prophetic Word of God, fail to do so, we must, like Mary, turn to God in prayer and praise. Then the God who hears our prayers will act. Through Mary, Joseph also came to experience the joy of witnessing the birth of Jesus. May our church likewise experience the joy of Emmanuel, which signifies the birth of Jesus.

Third, the God who revealed Emmanuel continues to testify of Emmanuel to the world through our obedience. How, then, can we witness the birth of Jesus in our time? Isn’t it merely an event of the past? Let me share the Word of God regarding this. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her, so that the one born of her was the Son of God. Just as Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, Jesus desires to be conceived in us through the Holy Spirit.

What this means is that the Lord Jesus Christ comes to dwell within us. It is an experience of Emmanuel—God being with us. How does such an experience occur? It happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon us and His power overshadows us. This is not something accomplished by human effort but by God Himself. When the Holy Spirit comes and His power rests upon us, we gain confidence in the words God speaks to us. His Word then takes root in our hearts, becoming our guiding value and principle. This is the assurance of Emmanuel—God with us.

This assurance of Emmanuel brings a transformation of values, which others can see and sense. For example, when we declare, “May it be to me as it is written about me,” it becomes a life lived according to the Holy Spirit. In such a life, the Holy Spirit produces fruit within us—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life? Are you sharing love, joy, and peace with your family and neighbors as you follow the Spirit? Or are you still dwelling in fear and inner conflict?

This Christmas, I hope that the light of Emmanuel—God with us—will shine through your lives. May it be a season where conflicts within families are restored with love and peace, and where you extend patience, kindness, and goodness to your neighbors, sharing the joy of Emmanuel. Just as the Lord took on flesh through Mary, He desires to become flesh through us, fulfilling Emmanuel once again. To say that the Word becomes flesh means that the Lord, who is the Word, becomes the essence of our lives.

What does this mean? It means that the Lord, sent by the Father, entrusted Himself to Mary’s body and came into the world in human form. He shed His blood and died on the cross to atone for our sins. However, being without sin, the Lord rose again through the power of the Holy Spirit and now dwells with us. This same Jesus continues His work of saving people from sin through those who, like Mary, possess faith. When the Lord is revealed to the world through us, it becomes a great joy to those on earth who are favored by God, especially to those who eagerly await the Lord’s return.

Many in this world are unable to experience peace. As described in Romans 8, they are eagerly waiting for the revelation of the sons of God, hoping that the Son of God will appear to save them. The Son of God is the one who brings peace to them. For this purpose, the Lord has sent us into the world. The Lord said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” and breathed on His disciples, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is a command to save others from sin.

This means that the Lord, after pouring out the Holy Spirit upon us, has entrusted us with continuing His ministry of saving people from sin. Just as the Lord forgave us, He has entrusted us with the ministry of forgiving those who have sinned against us—His ministry of reconciliation and peace. Thus, when our church becomes a channel of God’s love and peace through forgiveness, extending it to brothers and neighbors, the blessing of Emmanuel will be revealed more abundantly in this world.

Let me conclude the message. The message of Christmas is not confined to a past event. It continuously unfolds in the lives of believers today and into the future, manifesting the joy and mission of Emmanuel. This Christmas, may you, like Mary and Joseph, obey God’s Word and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, experiencing the reality of Jesus’ birth in your life as the joy of Emmanuel.

Just as Mary and Joseph, through their faith and obedience, witnessed the birth of Jesus Christ by following the Spirit’s guidance, we too can experience the joy of Emmanuel that comes with Jesus’ birth when we receive and obey God’s Word with the same faith. Furthermore, when the joy of Emmanuel flows from us to our families, friends, and neighbors, we become true witnesses of Christmas. May we, in our homes, our church, and society, become channels of God’s love and peace.

What are you waiting for this Christmas? Like Mary and Joseph, resolve to obey God’s Word and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance to experience the birth of Jesus in your life. A lamp is a symbol of light shining in the darkness. The obedience of Mary and Joseph was like a lamp revealing God’s light in a dark world. Likewise, our obedience will also shine the light of Emmanuel in this world. May our church become a lamp that spreads the joy of Christmas.

When Jesus is revealed through us, our neighbors and the world will experience the peace and love of Emmanuel. This Christmas, may you be blessed to experience the miraculous wonder of the Word becoming flesh as Jesus comes into your life.