Jesus Came

Can you believe it? Christmas is right around the corner again! It seems like time speeds up as we enter the last few months of the year. As the fall season arrives, we are aware that “the holidays” are closer. But you blink your eye and they are here!!

For Christians, the pinnacle of the holiday season is Christmas. We remember with gratitude that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We celebrate the mind-bending event that God took on flesh and entered our world physically as a man. Astounding.

The Son of God was born in very humble surroundings, laid in the manger, and named “Jesus.” The angel Gabriel had explained that this would be His name because He would save His people from their sins.

And so Jesus came. The Bible tells us that in coming, Jesus accomplished many things. Here are some of them:

• Jesus came to do God’s will: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. … ‘Not what I will, but what You will.’” (John 6:38, Mark 14:36)
• Jesus revealed God the Father: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. … No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:14, 18)
• Jesus came to defeat Satan: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14).
• Jesus came to reconcile us to God: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s

physical body through death to            present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (Colossians 1:21-22)

Jesus came to give us real life: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. … Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 10:10, 17:3)

This year Christmas falls on a Sunday! Because of that we will not have a Christmas Eve service. However, we will have a wonderful time of worship and celebration on Christmas morning at our usual 10:30 service time! Our children will sing that morning—that is always a treat! We will sing some beloved traditional Christmas carols. And I will preach Jesus and why He came.

Did you know that Christmas is one of the times of the year when people who don’t regularly attend church are very open to coming? In fact, people you know may just be waiting to be asked, they may be waiting for you to invite them to come with you to Christmas worship. So go ahead! Invite someone along so they can hear the good news of Jesus and experience the joy of the season.

Thank God. Jesus came!