On this blessed Christmas Day let me encourage you to reflect upon that most dramatic scene from the very end of our Lord’s earthly life. In Matthew 26:36-46 we encounter those familiar words of Jesus, spoken in the context of fervent prayer: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (v. 39).

The One whose birth we celebrate today eventually went to Gethsemane where that incomprehensible transaction took place–our Lord desperately pleading with His Father, and then fully submitting to His will, and all for the sake of sinners like you and me! I can think of no more important or comforting words to consider on the final Sunday of the year than these. As we gather for worship on this coming Lord’s Day we will think about the massive implications of our Lord’s garden prayer and His complete submission to the Father’s eternal plan.