Few words ever spoken by Christ have carried greater comfort to a dying sinner than these: “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” They were spoken from the cross, in the hour of deepest suffering; yet in them shine the mercy, authority and nearness of the Savior. One word gathers into itself the comfort and glory of Christmas: today.
The prayer spoke of a coming kingdom. Faith had looked forward to a distant day, when the King should appear in power and glory. But Christ answered, not by denying that hope, but by bringing mercy nearer still. “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”
Here is the message of Christmas. The King for whom Advent waits does not remain afar off. He draws near. He enters our time, our sorrow, our need. He does not merely promise future blessedness; He bestows present grace. He is not only the King who will come; He is the Savior who comes now.
The birth of Christ declares that God has visited His people. Heaven has stooped to earth. Eternity has touched time. The same Lord who once lay in a manger speaks words of peace to burdened souls: Today. Not tomorrow, when life is amended. Not at some distant hour, when worthiness is achieved. Today, for the helpless, the guilty, the believing.
This word assures us that death is not the end, nor the grave a barrier to Christ’s care. The promise of paradise is the promise of life with Him. To be with Christ is heaven begun. Wherever He is, there is peace, rest, and safety. And this fellowship does not wait upon the last day alone. It begins the moment faith lays hold of Him.
The promise also teaches us where our confidence must rest. The thief brought no merit, no service, no claim — only his need. He cast himself wholly upon the mercy of Christ, and Christ did not cast him out. Salvation was not earned; it was given. It was not delayed; it was immediate.
So it is still. Christmas proclaims a Savior who receives sinners as they are. The weary, the broken, the fearful may come without reserve. To trust Him is enough. To be remembered by Him is life.
Yet the grace that remembers us also calls us to remembrance in return. Christ would not be forgotten by those whom He has redeemed. He bids us carry His name through all our days — remembering His love, His sacrifice, His promises, and His presence. He asks not for perfect service, but for faithful hearts.
Blessed are those whom Christ remembers. If He is with us, no loss can undo us, no darkness overwhelm us, no death separate us from His care. His remembrance is stronger than our frailty, and His presence is our peace.
Christmas gives us more than a promise of glory to come. It gives us Christ Himself.
Today He comes near. Today He saves. Today He gives paradise.
George Everard was a 19th-century Anglican minister and devotional writer who served as vicar of St. Mark’s in Regent’s Park, London, from 1868 to 1884. He wrote widely read devotional addresses during the Victorian era. His works are now in the public domain. This is an edited version of his original.
