“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son.” (Galatians 4:4) It is a peculiar thought that Paul expresses here: The time was “fulfilled.” A literal translation would be: “When the fullness of time came.” What does this mean?
To fulfill means to bring to completion. God ended the old era and opened a new one. The new era is the time of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). In the midst of the world's turmoil, God allowed his kingdom to dawn. He did this through Jesus, his Son, whom he sent into the world for this purpose. The beginning was unassuming: a baby in a manger. But the beginning had been made. God's kingdom had come.
But let's look at the bigger picture. That God writes his own history (salvation history) within world history is evident from the very first chapters of the Bible. The beginning of salvation history lies with Abraham. Abraham receives a threefold promise: from him will come a people who will possess a land and become a blessing to all humanity (Genesis 12:1-3). This is Israel.
We know that God's plan didn't quite work out. Throughout its history, Israel has all too often failed to cooperate. So it was clear that God had to intervene once again. This realization led to the conviction that God would one day send a special person: the Messiah. He would establish God's kingdom. Specifically, this means he would restore Israel and set the world right. Around 2000 years ago, the time had come. For God, the point had arrived to usher in a new era. Paul speaks of this turning point in Galatians 4:4: "When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son." This is what we celebrate at Christmas.
A new era
During his time on earth, Jesus spread the Kingdom of God. But that wasn't all. Jesus solved humanity's three greatest problems by winning the victory over sin, the devil, and death. That is momentous! With this, a new era dawned—an era marked by Jesus' victory. For Christians later on, this was such a profound turning point that they began a new system of chronology. Since then, we have divided history into the time before Christ and the time after Christ. Christians know: The victory has already been won—it is simply not yet fully realized. This gives hope.
The Kingdom of God is currently spreading throughout the world, often subtly and in secret. The Kingdom of God is growing. But it is not yet complete. Therefore, we expect Jesus to come again to finish his work. Then he will hold the final judgment, rid the world of all evil, wipe away every tear, fully accomplish God's will, redeem creation, and complete the Kingdom of God. Then there will be peace forever, peace on earth (Luke 2:14).
Secular contemporaries don't know this. For them, time simply passes by. They know nothing of the turning point in history. For them, Christmas is merely the festival of family and gifts. They are unaware that we live in a new era, namely under the sign of Jesus' victory, and they remain oblivious to the spread of the Kingdom of God. Actually, someone should tell them, because it truly is good news.
A new perspective
I don't know what the new year will bring. But there will certainly be enough to cause concern. We Christians don't close our eyes to this. We live in this world and support everything that makes it better. But that's not the crucial point. As Christians, we start from a different premise. We know that the difficult times we live in are encompassed by Jesus. At the beginning is his first coming, with which he won the victory; at the end is his second coming, with which he will finally bring about the victory. This changes our perspective. We have a different view of the world and see the hardships of our time in a new light: in the light of hope. For Jesus is coming again and will make all things new (Revelation 21:5). That is certain.
Let us celebrate together that Jesus has already won the victory. Let us live from this victory and focus on Jesus. Then, despite all challenges, light will shine in our hearts. In this spirit: Merry Christmas!
