Christmas Eve

It’s the night before. You know Christmas. Christmas is always my favorite of all the holidays. Other holidays have there good points too of course. Easter is one and absolutely is Christians other favorite. Easter compliments and is the completion of Christmas, in other words Christmas began our redemption and Easter finished it. It’s hard if not impossible to choose which is more important, because they are dependent on each other. But, I like Christmas. Not for all the fanfare and presents and commercialism. I love Christmas because God loved us enough to send His Son to fix the sin problem, that nasty thing that broke our relationship with Him. So, no matter how you do it, take time to worship our Savior this Christmas. For He stepped out of Heaven into a crib; well a manger acting as a crib. Would you do that? No, we would not! Not for people that for the most part could careless about God. Yet He did. The Father cared enough to send His Son. The Son Jesus cared enough to obey His Father, knowing it would cost Him his life in the most painful way of death imaginable, crucifixion.

Being a father, I would have a hard time sending my son off to war even if it was a justified and the honorable thing to do. Yet, the Father sent His Son into a world that missed the Messiah’s coming. Israel missed the one who will save them and restore their glory as a nation. Israel missed their king. And, I’m glad they did not out of selfish reasons of course. My reason is that we the non Jewish people (Gentiles) would be left to our own darkness and hell as a result. If they (Israel) noticed and responded to their saviors message, what would we the Gentiles—non Jews—do? I’m sure the bible would have been written totally different to accommodate their acceptance if Jesus as Messiah. However, they didn’t see Him for who He was, or worse yet, their leaders didn’t want to surrender their power as leader of the nation. So were left with this:

 “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.  God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son. They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things.  All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do.” John 3:16-20 NCV

Remember this year Jesus came for a reason. If our celebration with lost family member doesn’t point to Jesus, were partying without a reason.

Merry Christmas!

Gordon