2016 is coming to an end, and with it comes the Christmas season. I'm sure we are all excited for Christmas: the lights, music, movies, presents and family. However, since this is a busy time of year we tend to be distracted from what the real meaning of Christmas is-- birth of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:23

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-- which means, "God with us" (NIV).

This week in church, our pastor asked us to reflect on the blessings God has given us in 2016. I sat down, and started to write down the blessings God has given me. One of the items I wrote is that He keeps his promises.

As the service went on, the pastor talked about the promise of the savior. You see, throughout the Bible and history, God has been relieving his plan and promise for the savior. The Old Testament book, Isaiah 53, reveals this prophesy.

Isaiah 53:2-5 declares, "2 The servant grew up before God-- a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. 3 He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand, One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. 4 But the fact is, it was our pains he carried-- our disfigurements, the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. 5 But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him-- our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole" (MSG).

God promised us the savior, and He kept that promise by sending Jesus to meet us where we are!

I don't know what your year has looked like, but the truth is that you are so loved and valued and that God wants salvation for you! He desires a relationship with you!

Throughout history God was prophesying our savior.

Since Christmas is around the corner and 2016 is coming to an end, I want you to remember this: Christmas is about the promise of the savior. That promise was fulfilled, and now we get to walk in the living presence of God! Now that is a powerful promise.