In Brazil, families meet on Christmas Eve and wait until midnight to join in the heartily prepared supper. This isn't difficult: Christmas includes a warm, bright evening, with large family gatherings filled with good conversation and joy. After the delicious meal, it's time to open presents. Everyone wonders, especially the children: Is there a nice gift for me? Christmas is the season of joyful anticipation. God’s people had awaited the birth of the Messiah for centuries, and His hand had carefully guided every detail: the virgin birth, in the specific town of Bethlehem, and the humility of His incarnation: “All this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet” (Matthew 1:22). There may not always be a feast for Christmas and presents may disappoint or not arrive at all. Waiting on God, however, is a wait that won’t disappoint. Christ offers forgiveness of sins and “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Reconciliation with the Father is a matchless gift, which allows us to know His perfect peace: “The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give,” said Jesus (14:27). Is waiting hard for you? God has proven himself faithful by sending Jesus, so we rest assured in His words: “I will come back to you again” (v. 28). There’s no hope better than that! The gift that truly satisfies our soul is to be part of His family and live with Him for eternity.
—Marilia Lara
