As Christmas gets closer, I love to ponder the first Christmas so long ago. Thinking over what Pastor said tonight about Jesus being "the light (which) shines in the darkness" (vs. 5) in John 1, I'm overcome with excitement... and awe.
Jesus willingly stepped down from Heaven to our world, to become one of us, born as a helpless baby to a dark, sinful world. God's only Son chose to come to us in our pain, sickness, shame, grief, and starvation for love, to become a man aquainted with our sorrows, rather than leave us seperated from Him by our sin.
That was the first Christmas. Amazing...
Check it out:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(Jumping to verse 9)
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.The world did not recognize the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior. He did not come in a fancy Corvette, surrounded by cameras and paparazzi-- Jesus came as an ordinary baby, born to poor parents. The angels who announced His birth did not appear to the wealthy, powerful, or well-known officials of the day. God, in His love, had something more special in mind-- they appeared to a group of shepherds, the humblest of the humble, proclaiming:
Do not be afraid! Rejoice, for a child is born. Emmanuel has come to you.
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.Wow... Christ has come. Immanuel, God with us! We have been invited to receive His gift of salvation through Christ, to become children of God-- Sons and Daughters of the King.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (italics mine
Amen.
This Christmas, if you feel alone in the darkness of this world, remember Christ, the Light of the world.
He is Emmanuel. God is with us.
Merry Christmas!
23 days left
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