One Holy Night

One Holy Night
Light in the Night!
Terry R. Baughman

“While he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, 'God with us’” (Matthew 1:20-23 NKJ).

After centuries without the voice of a prophet or visiting angels, several unusual events began to take place. First, an aging couple who had never had children were promised a special son. They were instructed by an angel to name him John. As a sign of the authority of the angel to deliver this message, Zechariah was unable to speak until the day his son was born and was named. He wrote on a tablet, “His name is John,” and he immediately began talking and praising God (Luke 1:63 NIV). 

While Elisabeth was pregnant with John, her young niece Mary was visited by the same angel. Gabriel appeared to her, bringing great news from the presence of God. She was highly favored and had been chosen to give birth to the coming Messiah. Since she was a virgin preparing for marriage, she did not know how this would happen. The angel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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” (Luke 1:35 NIV). This was to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, “A virgin will be pregnant, she will give birth to a Son, and he will be known as ‘Emmanuel,’ which means in Hebrew, ‘God became one of us’” (Matthew 1:23 TPT).

Joseph, engaged to be the husband of Mary, sure needed a miracle as well to help him understand what was happening to his plans for marriage. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21 NIV). Everything about these events were miraculous.

That wasn’t the last miracle or the last visitation of an angel. Shepherds were addressed by an angel, then witnessed a heavenly host to announce the arrival of the Christ Child. Magi were led from distant lands by a guiding star, and warned by an angel to return home a different way. Angels warned the young parents to flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of the king, and were directed when they should return. All of humanity would be affected by the events that unfolded in the months surrounding the birth of Jesus on that one holy night!

History is charted on the advent of the life of Jesus. The most common numbering of years is BC (Before Christ) or AD (in the year of our Lord) from the Latin Anno Domini. One night in Bethlehem altered the course of history and has given hope for the future. God is still speaking and His Good News is proclaimed around the world. This is the season of optimism, hope, and joy! He came to change everything … one holy night!
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Theme passage:
“A fountain of life was in him, for his life is light for all humanity. And this Light never fails to shine through darkness—Light that darkness could not overcome! (John 1:4-5 TPT).