Reason for the Season: Sacrifice
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'” Matthew 1:23 NLT
Merry Christmas! As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we are also celebrating His sacrifice. Stepping out of heaven in all of it’s perfection, He willingly chose to dwell with us.
Last night my husband and I stayed up until after midnight putting together toys and gifts for all the children. Needless to say, we were exhausted early the next morning when the children woke up chipper and excited to start the festivities. At first I thought, they need to go back to bed, it’s too early! But as I heard the excitement in their voices, I ran to get the video camera to film their reactions to all of our hard work. We wanted to experience all the emotions they were feeling and capture them. When they walked in the room they were elated at each and every thing they saw, amazed at the wonderful gifts that sat before them. They were enjoying our sacrifice. We too enjoy the sacrifice of our Lord. He came to earth as a baby to experience life as we do. But He didn’t stop there. He modeled for us how to live. He gave His own life that we may be whole; body, soul and spirit. Through His sacrifice, we are reconciled to the Father. As we celebrate our Lord, let us not just remember His birth, but His sacrifices, His life and His death. That is the good news of the gospels!
Just a thought to meditate on:
His birth shows His love; He wanted to relate to us.
His life models for us how we can relate to others.
His death gives us our inheritance, everything we need to be victorious in this life.
Prayer
Lord, we are grateful for your sacrifices. The fact that you would come to earth to be with us, proves your love for us. Father help us to lay down our lives for others. May our hearts and minds be aware of the needs around us. Thank you that we get to be a part of the solution. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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