Based on the message:

There’s an old Christmas song from 1981 by Christine Wyrtzen called “The Shadow of a Tree.” Though the musical style may be dated, its words remain timeless: Jesus was born in the shadow of a tree, with the ever-present knowledge that he would one day hang on a tree—the tree of Calvary. This profound truth captures something we often miss during the Christmas season. We get caught up in the beauty of the nativity scene, the wonder of the manger, and the joy of celebration. But we must see the bigger picture: the reason Jesus came was to die on the cross.

The Child Born, The Son Given

Isaiah 9:6 contains a subtle but significant distinction that reveals the dual nature of Christ: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Notice the prophet doesn’t say “a child will be born and a son will be born.” Instead, he says “a child will be born” but “a son will be given.” The child born speaks of Jesus’s humanity—His conception by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb at a specific point in history. The son given speaks of His deity—the eternal Son who has existed from eternity past. This echoes John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” God willingly gave his Son for us. Any parent understands the magnitude of this sacrifice. We would rather experience suffering ourselves than watch our children endure it. Yet God demonstrated his love by giving his Son while we were still sinners.

Foreshadowing Throughout the Nativity

When we look closely at the Christmas story, we find the cross foreshadowed everywhere. Jesus lying in a wooden manger points forward to being nailed to a wooden cross. The swaddling clothes wrapped around the infant anticipate the linen strips that would wrap his dead body. Even the gifts of the magi carry prophetic weight: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh—a burial spice used to prepare his body for the tomb.

Jesus himself made his purpose clear: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, “What then shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose, I came to this hour.” He didn’t come merely to perform miracles or teach wisdom. He came to die.

The Prince of Peace

Among the names Isaiah prophesies for the Messiah, “Prince of Peace” holds special significance. This title reveals Jesus as the ruler and source of peace, the one who secured peace between God and humanity.

Missionaries Don and Carol Richardson discovered this truth powerfully while working with the Sawi tribe in New Guinea during the 1960s. This primitive tribe valued treachery as a virtue, and when they first heard the gospel, they identified Judas as the hero for his betrayal of Jesus. The Richardsons were devastated until they learned about the tribe’s custom of the “peace child.” When warring tribes wanted peace, they would exchange infants. As long as that peace child lived, peace remained between the tribes. When the missionaries explained that Jesus is God’s peace child, given to make peace between God and humanity, the gospel finally made sense. Today, that tribe is 85 percent Christian.

We were all enemies of God, separated by our sin and rebellion. But through Christ’s death, peace became available. Colossians describes how Christ “made us his friends again” through his death, presenting us as holy and blameless before God.

The Bible speaks of two kinds of peace. First, there’s peace with God—the vertical reconciliation that comes when we trust in Christ. Romans 5:1 declares, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Every believer has this peace. But there’s also the peace of God—an inner tranquility that doesn’t depend on circumstances. Philippians 4:6-7 promises that when we bring our anxieties to God through prayer, “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This supernatural peace allows us to remain calm even when life falls apart around us.

The Father of Eternity

When Isaiah calls the Messiah “Eternal Father,” he’s not confusing Jesus with God the Father. Rather, he’s identifying Jesus as the source of eternity itself. God exists as one God in three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus, as the eternal Son, gives eternal life to all who receive him. For believers, this means the gift of everlasting life in God’s presence. For those who reject or ignore him, it means he will preside as judge. Every person will give an account to the one who died for them. This is why the gospel invitation remains urgent: God is declaring that all people everywhere should repent, turn from sin, and turn to Him.

The Heart of Christmas

A well-known story illustrates the incarnation beautifully. On Christmas Eve, a man stayed home while his family attended church because he couldn’t believe God would become human. As snow fell, birds began hitting his window, trying to escape the cold. He went outside, opened the barn doors, and tried to guide them to safety. But they couldn’t understand him. Frustrated, he thought, “If only I could become a bird, I could show them the way to safety.”

Then the church bells rang, and the truth dawned on him. That’s exactly what God did. He became human to communicate with us and show us the way to safety and salvation.

Jesus didn’t come just for faceless humanity. He came for you. He’s God in the flesh who died on the cross for you and rose again on the third day. The question is: Have you responded to him? Have you received the gift of Christmas?