Thursday, December 14: The First Noël
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. -Matthew 1:21 NIV
It is widely known that Noël is the French word for Christmas, but do you know the original origin of the word? Noël comes from the Latin word natalis, meaning “birth.” Therefore, the title of the hymn, fully translated, is “The First Birth.” This song is about the Nativity Story, the birth of Jesus as we see in the Bible. Angels came to Joseph and Mary, telling them “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus came to save us from our sins. That is what this season is about for us: the remembrance of this birth, and the life of Jesus. He was born here, lived here, died here, and was raised again here, all so that we had a new way to find relationship with God. This song reminds us of the hopes and the expectations of salvation that came with the birth of Jesus. It serves to remind us that, no matter where we find ourselves in our lives right now, that Jesus was here, and we will always have hope in that. This is a chance to celebrate not only the newness of his life, but this season provides all of you an opportunity to start your life over with a new birth.
Whatever sin, whatever shortcoming, whatever failure, whatever weakness you have, a child was born, and he has come to save you.