By Bob Bunn
My parents arrived in Hawaii on September 10, 2001. Within 24 hours, their dream vacation turned into a bit of a nightmare. Because of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, almost everything around them shut down.
They had hoped to visit Pearl Harbor, but every military base in the nation was closed for security reasons. They had intended to do some island hopping, but all air service was grounded for the majority of their stay. For a while, they even wondered if they would be allowed to fly home on schedule.
Thankfully, they were, but so many of their plans had to change or be adjusted because of what had happened half a world away. While there are worse things in life than being stuck in Hawaii, it just wasn’t what they had signed up for.
As the old saying goes, timing really is everything. In my parents’ case, timing worked against them. Through no fault of their own, they had a trip they’d never forget—even if it was for all the wrong reasons. Admittedly, it makes for an interesting story now, but it made for a lousy trip to paradise back then.
The Advent season is all about timing. In particular, it’s about God’s timing, which is always perfect. One of my favorite Christmas passages can be found in Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia. Writing a couple of decades after the fact, the great apostle noted that God sent Jesus into the world at just the right time (Galatians 4:4–5).
Historically, it really was perfect timing. By the dawn of the first century, the Romans had built a network of quality roads and quelled dangerous rebellions, making it a great opportunity for evangelists to cover the empire with the gospel. A common Greek language made communication simpler, while an increased interest in spirituality meant people were open to consider Jesus as the Messiah.
In His mercy and wisdom, God recognized the world’s greatest need, and He knew the perfect moment for sending Christ to intersect our humanity.
Advent is the season when we celebrate that intersection. It’s a time when we reflect on how the immortal God came to earth wearing our mortal flesh. Along with Joseph, we stand amazed at the idea of Immanuel, God dwelling with us (Matthew 1:23).
On this Christmas Eve, we would be wise to stop and consider how God being with us changed the world forever. Nothing has been the same since Jesus made His appearance in flesh and bone—and that’s a good thing. Because He became one of us, we can know God. We can be adopted into His family and transformed into His likeness.
The true beauty of Christmas is not only that Immanuel came, but also that He remains with us. Jesus didn’t just come for a moment in time or a season of the calendar. Through the Holy Spirit, He is still with us every single moment of every single day.
When Love came down, He came to stay.
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