Christmastide

God rest you merry, Gentlefolk,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Savior
Was born upon this Day.
To save poor souls from Satan’s power,
Which long time had gone astray.
Which brings tidings of comfort and joy. 

~~~~~~~~

People ask what is so important about Christmas. The usual answer is that Christmas reminds us of the day that God the Creator became one of us.

Well, so?

The standard answer misses the point. God gave us a special offering in the person of an infant. After this infant grew up to manhood. the human race murdered him. Not one of our finer moments. This Jesus was murdered because his presence threatened the political and religious elites of the time. But this was part of the plan; Jesus knew it was coming.

It had also been arranged that God would heap on Jesus all the sins of humanity, from the beginning till the end of time. Thus the perfect man Jesus became culpable for all that sin. When he died, he was separated from God the way sin separates us. In dying with all that sin, he took away all the sin, paying for them with his life. But he had done exactly what God wished, so he was restored to life, and all the sin that separates us from God is gone

The final evidence is that Jesus is restored to life -- the sin he carried away no longer has the power to hold anyone in the grave.

Trust God that this is so. Believe in the redeeming action of Jesus and be free.