The unbelieving world gives a passing recognition of what happened in Bethlehem, but for the most part Santa becomes the central figure, bearded, round, jolly and dressed in red. At day’s end there are pieces of wrapping paper, homeless bows and cut ribbon, but the world apart from Christ is often left with a feeling of emptiness symbolized by the torn and crumpled paper and empty boxes waiting to be thrown away.

Part of the Christmas story found in Luke 2: 25-35 tells us about Simeon. He stands just and devout. He has learned to wait and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and so he waits patiently for Messiah – the Consolation of Israel. Mary and Joseph come to the Temple with baby Jesus, and Simeon’s time of waiting is now ended. This is what he has been anticipating. He takes Jesus into his arms and blesses God. Indeed, it is worth waiting for – God’s salvation and His time of fullness, richness, joy and meaning.

Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph and then he says: “Behold this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” What does he mean? – “destined for the fall and rising of many…” In Matthew 21:42, Jesus referred to Himself as stone of salvation. Then He said, “Whoever falls on the stone will be broken.” He referred to those for whom He became the Rock of offense. But many others have turned to Christ and to them He has become the Rock of salvation. He was destined to be the means for many to fall and for many others to rise.

Indeed, Christmas is a day of contrasts: Christians celebrate God in the flesh, but we also see the shadow of the cross and how His sacrifice provides us with eternal life. For the unbeliever, however, there is no joy, no light that brings good news to a dark world, and no sense of the meaning of the cross. We Christians celebrate both scenes: the scene in a stable where a manger becomes the cradle for the Son of God and the scene at the cross that becomes the cradle for our salvation. That cross was His destiny. We celebrate an innocent baby – pure and righteous. In three short decades His death would pierce His mother’s soul. So we, too, ponder these things in our hearts just as Mary and Joseph did that day in Temple with Simeon.

It is such a wonderful story: the stable, the manger, the angels, the shepherds, the birth of our Savior. This Christmas season we pause there and take a peek at the innocent babe in swaddling cloths. But we also know inherent in the message of the “good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people” is the shadow of the cross. So, during this time as we celebrate Christ’s first advent, we go to the cross and remember that He who was nailed there was a man like no other man. He did not deserve this death. The Scripture teaches us in II Corinthians 5:21 that “He who knew no sin became sin for us” so that we might become God’s children and heirs of eternal life. That was why He was born in the first place. That was His destiny. So we step from the manger and stand at the cross. What a contrast.