It Was Accomplished

(My posts may be somewhat sporadic in the next week to 10 days due to the holidays and my vacation.)

Readings:
II Kings 16
John 19:16b-30

Focus:
John 19:30a:"Having received the wine, he said, 'It is accomplished!'"

Jesus knew the purpose for his death. He was not a great teacher with a vision, who somehow failed in the end. No, he was God himself in human form, having come to earth in order to die instead of us, so that he could accept the punishment for our sins. He himself committed no sin, but he bore the blame for every single sin, little or big, that every single person, past, present, or future ever did or ever will commit. This is so that when any one of those people was or is or will be sorry for their sins, and turns to God, and intends to commit sin no more to the best of their ability, then they will no longer have to suffer the punishment for their sins, because Jesus already did. That's how much God loves us.

That's why Jesus was born at Christmastime. He came to earth as a little baby so that he could grow up and die in order to take the punishment for our sins. O come, let us adore him.

Not Kings, But Shepherds; Not a Magnificent Figure, But a Baby

Reading:
Luke 2:1-20

Focus:
Luke 2:8-9:"Now in this same district there were shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch through the night over their flock. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them."
Luke 2:16:"They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger."

Luke 2:1-20 is the text that my husband Jim preached from this morning, and it's probably the most familiar Christmas text from the Bible. What Jim talked about is also what strikes me in this text. If we were planning an appearance on earth by the God of the universe, we would probably make it grand and glorious, with lightning blasts across the sky, hordes of angels lining a pathway, and the Son of God stepping grandly down. He would greet the world leaders and lead them to a new world order.

But that's not how God actually did it. Instead of world leaders, a few shepherds in the middle of the night were the only ones who were notified. The choir of angels didn't sing for the kings and emperors; they sang for field workers tending animals.

And then the Son of God didn't appear in majesty. The shepherds ran to the stable, and what they found was not a magnificent figure, but instead, a little newborn baby. That was how God chose to enter our world as a human.

As it says in the Christmas carol:

"How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in."

What Are We to Do?

Reading:
Luke 3:1-17

Focus:
Luke 3:10:"The people asked him, 'Then what are we to do?'"

This is the passage my husband Jim preached on this Sunday morning.

John the Baptist was busy preparing the way for Jesus. He was announcing that the Messiah was going to come. As my husband put it, he was the first Christmas caroler.

What is fascinating is that so many people responded to John's message by asking what they should do to live differently. When they heard what John had to say, they wanted to repent and live new lives.

This is not a common reaction now when people hear Christmas carols. Instead, most people seem to think of gifts, of pleasant times around a fire, of parties, of seeing family, and so on. But back in the time of John the Baptist, the response of many people to the announcement of the coming of the Messiah was, "What are we to do?"

May this also be our response.

The First Christmas Card

Readings:
Isaiah 53

Focus:
Isaiah 53:5a:"But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities...."
Isaiah 53:8a:"He was arrested and sentenced and taken away, and who gave a thought to his fate...?"

My husband Jim preached on this passage this morning, and called his sermon "The First Christmas Card." He discussed how Isaiah announced, centuries before Jesus was born, exactly what Jesus would come to earth to do.

I have reflected on this passage this evening, and about Christmas cards. So often our cards tell about wonderful winter scenes, about happy family occasions, about highlights of the past year, and about hopes for the coming year. But who has given a thought to Jesus?

Jesus came to earth in order to be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. In the midst of the coming Christmas cheer, we must remember to take time to reflect on the Jesus of Isaiah 53, by whose wounds we are healed.