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The Best Christmas Presence Ever

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In the best of circumstances there is always the possibility that a present will not be appreciated by the recipient.  So, to avoid giving you something you won’t like, we’re going to open the box a little and let you peek inside. 

The Gift Partially Unwrapped 

The main character of The Best Christmas Presence Ever is Jesus Christ.  The story starts with his birth and focuses on why he was born and how he can affect us today.  It identifies a big problem of mankind (behavior at odds with God’s commands) and how the little babe in the manger would solve it as an adult.

If you’re familiar with the message that we’ve just described and want to avoid it, don’t rip into the package yet.  Just leave it under the tree until you’re ready to open it and consider the contents.

Of course, someone not acquainted with this story could also leave it unwrapped but if that’s you, we hope you’ll at least take a peek.  You can always put it back under the tree later.

Well, we know it’s not usually polite to open another person’s gift so it’s time for us to step back and let you have...

A Christmas Presence for You

There’s a fairly familiar passage from the Bible that’s heard a lot during the Christmas season. Sermons are preached about it, some of our favorite Christmas hymns focus on its message and bits and pieces of it even appear on Christmas cards. We’d like to share it with you as our way of offering you a Christmas presence that can be treasured all year round.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

(Luke 2:8-11)

If caring for a herd of unruly sheep wasn’t enough, these shepherds, while minding their own business saw an angel. Not enough to just see a supernatural being, this one spoke to them. It told them of a child born in Bethlehem and identified him as Savior and Lord, quite an exalted combination of titles for a newborn.

The shepherds determined to see "this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about," [1] and quickly made their way to town. They found the Christ child and the world has never been the same. Since that first Christmas, mankind has celebrated the birth of Christ in many ways. However, there are deep truths regarding his birth that are all too often missed.

A Savior has Been Born for You

First, the angel called Jesus a ‘Savior’ and we might ask, "Who needs to be saved and from what?"

The Bible says we "…all have sinned" [2], which is disobeying God’s commands or violating our God given consciences. It goes on to say, "the wages of sin is death…" [3] In business, wages are what is rightfully ours for the work we do. Here it means basically the same - receiving something we deserve (death) for something we have done (sinned).

This death includes spiritual separation from God now and for eternity but the baby, who came to become our Savior, made the removal of that penalty possible.  By one act; his death on a cross, he took our wages.  He got what we deserved.

To set aside our sentence of separation and death, we must trust without doubt that God is satisfied with what Jesus has done on our behalf and no longer considers us deserving of punishment for our sins.

He is Christ the Lord

The angel also identified the infant Jesus as ‘Lord,’ but a babe in swaddling cloths hardly seems worthy of anyone’s allegiance. Babies grow up however, and after his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ informed his closest followers that "all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” [4]

The words the angel used were ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord.’ Jesus bridged the gap between man and God by dying for our sin and he was given authority over all creation. It seems only right for him to expect us to follow him in loyalty and devotion once we place our faith in him as Savior.

Is This Christmas Presence for You?

Do you need to imitate the shepherd’s example and search until you find the baby of Christmas? He is no longer a helpless infant, but a loving Healer (Savior) and royal King (Lord).

If you think you might need to seek him for yourself or ask any questions about the Christmas presence we’re talking about, we would consider it a great privilege to help in anyway we can. Here’s how to get in touch.

Bible verses used in The Best Christmas Presence Ever

[1] Luke 2:15; [2] Romans 3:23; [3] Romans 6:23; [4] Matthew 28:18