Key Verse:
“Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.”
— Luke 1:65 NLT
As the holiday season begins, we’re invited to take a deeper journey through the awe and wonder of the true Christmas story. This December, let’s pause and rediscover the overwhelming sense of awe that comes from realizing who Jesus is and what He’s done.
The Challenge of Capturing Awe
We’ll try to describe the wonder of Christ, but the truth is, no collection of adjectives in any language could ever fully express His greatness. The prophet Isaiah tried when he foretold His coming:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
— Isaiah 9:6
That alone should stir awe in our hearts. Yet in today’s world, we’re constantly pulled in a thousand directions by man-made wonders, holiday ads, gadgets, and glitter. We risk allowing the horizontal, the things around us, to steal our vertical awe, which belongs to God alone.
Awe Belongs to the Creator
Pastor and author Paul David Tripp puts it well:
“If awesome things in creation become your god, the God who created those things will not own your awe. Horizontal awe is meant to do one thing: stimulate vertical. ”
We don’t worship creation, we worship the creator who created the creation. We do not bow down to trees, but we bow down to the one who made the trees. We don’t serve the stars, we serve the One who hung them in the sky. The awe we feel in nature, in life’s moments, in beauty, it’s all meant to lead us back to Him.
But too often, we trade that awe for lesser things. We give our hearts to temporary glories and lose sight of eternal wonder.
The Christmas Story Is Meant to Awe Us
This season, push past the noise and the commercialism. Focus on what really happened:
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins… and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
— Matthew 1:21–23
That’s what should leave us in awe, not gifts under a tree, but the gift of a Savior who came to rescue us from sin. Not temporary excitement, but eternal joy.
Awe in the Unexpected
Luke 1 tells the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, an older couple who had long given up on having a child. But God had other plans. While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, the angel Gabriel appeared and declared a miracle: Elizabeth would have a son, John, who would prepare the way for Jesus.
“Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer… you are to name him John… he will be great in the eyes of the Lord.”
— Luke 1:13–15 NLT
And when John was born?
“Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood…”
— Luke 1:65 NLT
Why? Not because of John, but because God was moving. He was writing the opening chapter of the greatest story ever told, the birth of Christ.
Awe Is About the Author, Not the Moment
The awe wasn’t about John the Baptist, it was about the God who orchestrated every detail. As Tripp says:
“Every awesome thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who alone is worthy of capturing and controlling the awe of your searching and hungry heart.”
Let this Christmas be different. Let it be full of awe, not for things that fade, but for the Savior who remains.
