My Dearest Friend,

Words collapse under the content of God's great goodness and mercy. A world without the entrance of Jesus into human history would be beyond comprehension. Without the Gospel being proclaimed, darkness would truly cover the entire creation, and there would be no Hope at all. But, "In the fullness of time," the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear this child conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was told to name Him Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. The night finally came that would end all waiting, both in Heaven and on the earth, angels sang and praised God for the Savior has come!

Almost immediately attempts were made to stop God's plan and Herod the king began killing babies in Bethlehem, in hopes of killing the new-born King of all Kings, but Herod failed. God warned Joseph in a dream and he took his family into Egypt and then shortly afterward Herod died.

We can't truly celebrate the life of Jesus without understanding why He was born. He was born to die for our sins. The hollow symbols of that birth, Christmas trees, gifts, songs, will all take place in the midst of the sparkling lights and the festive season. But the shadow of the Cross will be missed by most. How can we honestly celebrate His birth and ignore the primary reason for it? If we fail to make the connection, then we will not understand the celebration at all. The Gospel is not just a part of the story... it is the story.

There are 3 events in Jesus' life that are celebrated; His birth, His death, and His resurrection. Without all 3, no single one would be celebrated. He was born Savior, died to save us, and rose from the dead to prove that He had already saved us.

The Cross was not some unfortunate tragedy that happened to a nice person. It was not left to human hands at all. It was God's purpose from the beginning. In John 12, Jesus prayed, "What shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I came into this hour." Jesus came by the Father's will to die in our place for our sins. Jesus is our Savior, and our only Savior!

Many religions have heroes - dead ones. No religion or religious leader can stand alongside Jesus. It behooves us to look at His entire life, death, and resurrection as we celebrate His birth. Then and only then can we give His birth its rightful place and rightful praise.

Our society has attempted to capture Christmas. They might as well attempt to capture the sun and pull it down from the sky. They offer an empty package nicely wrapped, but no virgin birth, no cross, and no resurrection. Such a gift is worth less than the wrapping paper and tinsel that covers it. To accept such a gift would leave one hopeless in the end. No life, just empty claims.

The real gift was wrapped in swaddling clothes - a plain, inexpensive wrapping. But what a gift! God's Love for sinners, the Hope of Eternal Life through the forgiveness of sin. The real gift was more than good teaching or answers to life's great questions. The real gift was that God gave Himself for whoever would believe and receive Him.

He was born to save us from our sin through His death on the cross. The angel's said it, "For unto you is born this day a Savior Who is Christ the Lord." Savior... Christ... Lord. Those 3 words form the essence of Christmas. He is the Anointed One to deliver us from sin and to rule and reign in our lives. He bore our sins, paid the price for our iniquities, and gave us the right of justification. We can exchange the ashes of our failures for the Glory of His beauty. Have you done so, are you fully trusting in Him?

Joy to the World, the Lord has come!