Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother's womb he has spoken my name. – Isaiah 49:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 28, 2026): Isaiah 49

Christmas is coming. I guess that is an ever-present reality. I mean, the day after Christmas, some people start planning for the next Christmas celebration, which, depending on the year, is only 364 or 365 days away. I have friends who have already finished preparing for a Christmas celebration that is now just under two months away. I have always waited until much closer to the day before I start my preparations. However, even when Christmas is still months away, the story of Christmas is always with us. The Incarnation, God with us, shapes our faith and everything that we do.

The eighth-century B.C.E. prophet Micah wrote about the coming incarnation. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2). The biblical historian Luke wrote that;

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:30-33).

Isaiah sends a message to distant lands: someone is coming for them. The Messiah's coming was not just an event important to Israel. His coming would matter to the entire world. Before he was born, God would call him, supporting Micah's message that his roots would be "of old, from ancient times." Luke confirms Isaiah's message that "from my mother's womb he has spoken my name" by declaring that the angel called him Jesus before he was even conceived.

So, Merry Christmas. The celebration might still be a couple of months away, but the reality of the Incarnation of the Messiah is with us every day of the year, and not just in the cold, snowy days of December.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50