May
the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your
sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. AMEN.
Let
us pray, Lord Jesus Christ in Your taking on humanity, You chose to take human
flesh and become man. Because of Your
choice our salvation comes in a lowly manger.
Enable us to embrace our humanity, but see our baptism into Your life,
death and resurrection for all of mankind for our salvation for all of us
saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Advent evening. AMEN.
The
hardest part for some is to become something we are not. For Jesus Christ in His coming down from
heaven, He took on our human likeness in a state of humiliation. Previously He was King, Second Person of the
Holy Trinity, helping to form and shape the world that we call home. But in one moment Jesus Christ chose to enter
into time in Human form and begin life as a baby in a manger.
But
being wrapped in swaddling cloths was not the end, it was the beginning of the
work of salvation that offers all of mankind including all of us gathered here
tonight, life. Simply it is not a life
of ease, but more importantly it is a life that when we look to the Cross of
Jesus Christ is of promise and ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. We find ourselves tonight only one week from
our celebration of Jesus entrance into the world, but we are a lifetime away
from when it actually occurred. If we
look through the eyes of an adult we rationalize what salvation means. But if we look with the eyes of faith that a
child has we know Christmas as wonder and majesty, full of excitement and
anticipation.
The
salvation that Jesus Christ offers us because of His coming in the manger is a
work that isn’t like doing homework in math or English, driving a tractor
planting or harvesting a crop, tearing a ceiling down here in the church, turning
a wrench in a shop, shoveling out a grain bin, building or remodeling a house, working
on books in an accountants office or the farm books, it is about the work of
Jesus Christ coming to save mankind.
Jesus Christ comes to offer us eternal life by His humiliation. Jesus Christ endured everything in His life
here on earth as part of the work of salvation so we can be with Him in His
Kingdom. Jesus Christ endured this so we
can have eternal life. This is the salvation
that is offered to each of us by Jesus Christ for all of mankind.
Jesus
Christ offers us this gift of salvation, because He loves us and wants to share
with us what He has prepared for us in His Kingdom in heaven. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says something very
profound that applies tonight for our salvation, (15:13)“13 Greater
love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” This is the offer and work of salvation that
Jesus Christ offers us with His entrance in the manger. May we always remember this not for only a
few, but for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at
Emmanuel this Advent evening. AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment