It’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the traditions of Christmas!
I love getting and giving presents, the fun of surprising others, the joy and laughter as family and friends gather together, the suspense of waiting till to open presents, eating traditional cookies and treats, holiday music and so so so much more! It’s all SO fun! When my kids were young though, I wanted to be sure that they understood that Jesus isn’t just a tradition of Christmas. He’s the true reason behind Christmas, and although it’s not the most pleasant thing to recognize, it’s because of our own sin (mistakes and disobedience of God the Father) that Jesus had to come to earth! You may remember last week when Steve spoke about this very topic! Had sin not entered the picture there would have been no need for a Savior. It’s SO easy to forget about the connection between the baby Jesus being born and the cross where He would die!
So if the Son of God gave me the ultimate gift, renewed relationship with God the Father by being a willing sacrifice for my sins, what can I give Him that doesn’t just pale in comparison to HIS gift?
We can look to the Bible for answers to that question, and one very obvious gift is a big part of the Christmas story. In Matthew 2:1-2 we see the wise men asking where Jesus is so that they can worship him! That is the ultimate gift that God wants in return for Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. HE WANTS us to believe in the Son and accept Him as our savior and then WORSHIP with all our might!
This Christmas let’s look at WHO HE IS and remember what HE HAS DONE but more importantly let Look at what he WILL DO! The Christmas story is NOT over! We have experienced the cradle and HE has conquered the Cross but now we have to look for the final piece of the story….HE will come back for the CROWN! HE MAKES US NEW…when He reigns in our life BUT we will ALL BE MADE NEW again when we live forever in heaven!
Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!