But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. Galatians 4:4, NLT

I'll admit it.  Gift-giving isn't my primary love language, and I feel it especially at this time of year.  Sometimes I lack in the area of creativity -- coming short of ideas or feeling indecisive about what I can give my loved ones.  But more often than not, it's the timing of it all.  The crowded weeks leading up to Christmas this year have left me with not even enough time for Amazon Prime to come through for me.  Thankfully, the real meaning of this season isn't contingent upon my advance preparation or timing.  No, it's an opportunity to celebrate God's perfect timing.

THE RIGHT TIME

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18, NKJV

When Mary "was found with child," it was the farthest thing from the "right time" (Gal. 4:4) in Joseph's mind.  The timing of Mary's pregnancy was not in sync with this "just" (Mt. 1:19) man's sense of propriety nor his ideal for a happy marriage and legacy-building family life.  But what Joseph perceived as potentially ruining his life was actually something God was doing to redeem all of humanity.  And all this was happening at "the right time"...maybe not according to Joseph's timetable but surely according to God's eternal perspective!

As you reflect on the year that has passed, I imagine that there have been difficulties you would have preferred to have avoided, diagnoses you didn't expect, disappointments that tended to rob your joy.  None of these kinds of things ever come our way at a good time.  

But I believe the Advent story reminds us that even in the midst of what we feel will ruin us, God can still work to redeem us.

Joseph had the luxury of receiving angelic assurance that this was the case, but even if we may not see evidence of God's redemptive plan in our immediate circumstances, we can still trust God's infinite wisdom and everlasting love to bring about what is best at just the right time. 

THE RIGHT GIFT

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. Galatians 4:4, NLT

In these few words, Paul highlights another beautiful reality about the incarnation of Jesus.  Yes, God moved in response to humanity's need at just the right time.  But more than that, God provided just the right gift:  He sent His Son in human flesh!  The Father sent the infinite, uncreated second Person of the Godhead to fully identify with our humanity so we could fully identify with His divinity.  Listen to how Paul unpacks this miracle of miracles...

God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:5-6, NLT

By stepping into our shoes, Jesus freed us to step into His!  Because Jesus was born into the human family, we have the privilege of being adopted into God's family.  This is more than just a declaration or change of title.  What Jesus accomplished actually transforms the way we relate to God, stirring us to commune with Him with the kind of childlike intimacy that Jesus enjoyed with the Father. 

The Advent story invites us to be in awe of all that God has made available to us in Christ.  

This year may have been burdened by reminders of our human frailty and shackles we felt were unshakable.  But in Christ, the things we may FEEL enslaved by we are not to be defined by.  No, we can let the incarnation of Christ secure our identity in Christ:  children of God filled with the Spirit of God.

Friends, as we celebrate the arrival of Jesus and begin to allow our hearts to reflect on the year that has passed, let's renew our trust in God's perfect timing and revive our appreciation for God's perfect gift.  Whatever the coming year holds, let's remain confident that God will send just what we need just when we need it.  Better yet, let's stay grounded in the reality that God has already sent WHO we need at just the right time.