ARRIVAL: THE BABY WHO SAVES (John 1:14-18)

At Christmas we celebrate more than a birth—we celebrate the breathtaking truth that God came near. John declares that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This baby in a manger is Immanuel—God with us, not distant or detached, but present and personal. He is also the Lamb of God, whose coming brings “grace upon grace,” pointing beyond the cradle to the cross where sin would be taken away. And this child is the King of Kings, the One who has eternally lived at the Father’s side and now makes the invisible God known. Christmas is not sentimental nostalgia; it is salvation wrapped in skin. The One held in Mary’s arms is the God who came to be with us, to die for us, and to reign over us—the Baby who saves.