Wicked reveals things that happened before the events described in The Wizard of Oz. The Hobbit is about events before the Lord of the Rings. Both are described as prequels.
The prequel to Christmas is John 1:1-3 and Philippians 2:5-8.
Jesus Christ is God and has been God from the beginning and has been with God from the beginning. Everything came into being through Him.
But, even though He was and is God, He didn’t regard that as something to assert. He was willing to be born a baby, to be a bond-servant. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So here is the prequel to both Christmas and Good Friday.
Think about it! Jesus Christ, God the Son, was born a baby. He willingly set aside equality with God in order to become a bond-servant, to be obedient, to die.
We tend to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His sacrifice started with laying aside equality with God. His sacrifice continued with being born a baby. And continued with obedience. And continued with His death on a cross.
It is all one piece.
The motivation? God’s love.
What an awesome God!