In the olden days, when we were expecting a child, we did not know in advance what gender our child was to be. There were no ultrasounds, no CT scans. We just waited until the child was born. These days, parents can find out quite soon. Some don't want to know, but others do. Some know but don't tell anyone, but others will tell all who want to hear, and even some who would rather not know in advance.

These days, there is a new activity that I had not previously heard of: having a gender disclosure party. We were invited to one in the summer of 2019 at the home of one of our grandsons and his wife, who were expecting a child. One Saturday afternoon, there was a nice gathering of family and some friends. We did some visiting, had some snacks, played a few games, and had a chance to guess the gender of the baby. The expectant parents did not know what it was. Only their two mothers did, and they had organized the whole event.

At one point, we were asked to look up at the deck behind the house. Our grandson and his brother were up there, and they had a large device like a firecracker, which they pulled apart and tossed into the air. There was a loud bang and a big cloud of blue smoke. Then it dawned on me what this was all about. The blue smoke meant that it was to be a boy, and it was.

When Mary was told that she was going to be pregnant, there was no question as to the gender of the child:

Luke 1:30-32 – Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David." (NKJV)

Mary knew immediately that her child was to be a boy! But He is far more than that. He is God's Son, the Saviour of the world. He left heaven to become a man, died on a cross, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven. By His Holy Spirit, He is God living with us, right here, right now.

During this Christmas season, let us resolve not to take Jesus for granted. Let us give thanks that as our Saviour, He forgives all our sin and removes our guilt and our fear of death. He brings us comfort when we are hurting. He encourages us when we are sad and lifts us up when we are downhearted. What a mighty Savour!

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the wonderful words of Scripture where we can read again and again how important our faith in Your Son is in all that we do. We offer this prayer in His name. Amen.

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About the author:

Joel Jongkind <austria67@bmts.com>
Meaford, Ontario, Canada
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