Christmas is about faith, not about sight. As Christians we are called to worship what we have not seen, Jesus Christ as revealed to us in His word. At Christmas we are celebrating the birth of King Jesus, the One who would give us the greatest gift which is the gift of salvation.

The God of the universe entered our time and space in the person of a little baby. He set aside the privileges of deity, and accepted all the limitations of our human condition. He became one of us so that he could sympathize with us and, more importantly, so that he could save us. It was necessary that Jesus be fully human so that he could fully obey God on our behalf and fully offer his body as a sacrifice for our sin. In order to receive this gift of salvation, our faith has to be in God INCARNATE—the Son of God who lived, and died, and lives again in true humanity.

Three lessons we can learn from this text:

1. God Rules the World. (v.1-3)
2. God Rules Individuals. (v.4-5) 
3. God Rules the Details. (v.6-7)

What we see on the outside can be very deceiving. Faith makes us sure of unseen things, which we know about only through the divine Word. Mary had faith, she trusted the word of God and by faith persevered.

Luke simply said that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son (2:7a). There were no angels, no heavenly trumpets, and no voices from heaven announcing the birth of the Son of God. She was alone with Joseph, her betrothed, and far way from family and friends, when she gave birth.

When your circumstances seem to contradict the promises and comfort of God’s words, remember the Christmas story. Remember that God is sovereign over the world, individuals, and the details.