SUNDAY
THIS. This is the last Sunday before Christmas, the last actual chance to go to church before the big day(unless you go to a Christmas eve service). This means a lot of things, 1. Churches will be packed 2. People are willing to come, or at least willing to be dragged by loved ones. 3. The Christmas season does things to people. It makes their hearts soft, creates honesty in them, makes them realize their sense of self and helps them see their actual love for friends and family.
I. I wanna talk about number three for a quick second. Why do you think this time of year is synonymous with people’s hearts being open? Is it the gifts? Is it the weather? Is it the massive amounts of gravy and cinnamon laden foods? Friends? Family? Obviously all these things have to do with it, but I believe it to be something else.
THE “ELSE”. Every year around this time we see imagery, imagery of a baby laying in a bunch of straw around some animals, we hear stories about a large star and some shepherds and this baby being born that is somehow God. We(even if we don’t believe it) except this around this time of year to be “festive” or “compliant” as to “keep the peace”. I mean after all uncle harry flew in from Tahoe and we don’t want to get into any “serious” discussions about anything “definitive”.
WHAT IS ACTUALLY “ACTUAL” This “season” is the most important time in the world. It is the beginning of free life and will as we know it. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, bur the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”. You see God is Holy, holy literally means, “perfect” ” without fault”.” God cannot tolerate sin. He is a perfect God, but on top of that he is a just God, meaning that he cannot let sin go unpunished. As you see above the punishment is death. Heavy right? Heavy. Here is the ticker though and you really gotta catch this. Jesus was and is God! Crazy yeah? It says in John 3:16” for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so we could believe in him and have eternal life”. The death penalty for sin had to be paid. God loves us so much that he sent his only so (himself) to be the substitute for us. To stand in our place, to be the scapegoat for our sin and death.
A NEW LIGHT. Christmas has always been fun and heartwarming, but i hope this year we can all catch the meaning behind it, Christ’s birth, the immaculate spiritual conception and virgin birth which makes him perfect. The perfect sacrifice to get us out of our death sentence. Jeremiah 29:11 says, ” for i know the plans i have for you says the lord, they are plans for good and not for disaster to give you a hope and a future”. His plan all along has been to take care of us. He loves so much that he gave. For you. For me. For that child you have diligently been praying for for ten years. For that spouse that you just will not give up on. Christmas is the most important day in the history of the world. It’s the day love came down as human. God in man form.
IF. If you are in ministry or not I challenge you this year. Make Christ ever apparent. Use this opportunity of the proverbial “soft heart” and bring someone with to church who will never go. Tell that uncle that his life matters because of what happened on Christmas day.
Merry Christmas, Aaron
