God’s Rescue Mission, A Savior is Born
As we look back on our life’s journey, our greatest remorse and pain comes not from the things we did, but from the things we didn’t do that we should have done. And sometimes the pain comes, not from foolish things we did or said, but from a time when we could have shown kindness but didn’t, when we could have shown mercy but were harsh instead, when we could have reached out to someone in need but turned and walked away.
Our journey in life during Covid, Election 2022, and preparation for Christmas and New Year, all of us end up with a long list of things that we wish we had done differently. Often our deepest pain comes from knowing that we should have forgiven when we had the chance, but we didn’t do it, we let things fester, we nursed our grudges, we hung on to remembered hurts, and we ended up the loser because the time comes when we can no longer say to someone we loved, “I forgive you”.
But Remember Christmas is “God’s Rescue Mission”. Jesus the Savior is born, and came because we made such a mess of things. God said, “I will not leave you alone. I will not let you destroy yourself, each other, and the world I have made. I love you too much to leave you alone.”
After we had trashed everything, God said, “I’m coming down there so you’ll know once and for all how much I love you.” We didn’t pay any attention; it didn’t even make sense to us. How could God visit us? But he did—and he came to the world in a very strange way. He entered a virgin’s womb and came out as a baby, born in Bethlehem, a baby named Jesus, born to save us from our sins.
So he came as a baby, and when he grew up, we disagreed with him, we hated him, and even we killed him. Murdered him. Hung him on a cross. Is that the thanks we gave to God for visiting us.
But we were wrong about everything. After we killed him, he came back from the dead—proving that he was right all along and we were really wrong— dead wrong about everything—and still God loved us and came from heaven to earth on the greatest rescue mission in history, despite our failures and weaknesses.
No one but God could have done something like that. What a story! What a Christ! The son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” God has done it all.
That’s the good news of Christmas: God has done it all. God wrapped up his Son in swaddling clothes and said to the whole world, “This is my Christmas gift to you.”
Christmas matters because truth matters. And the heart of the truth is that God did not leave us alone, but in our misery he came to visit us one dark night in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.
Christmas is all about who we are, and who God is, and how far God will go for us. And it is because Christ came that you and I can be forgiven even when we have a hard time forgiving ourselves.
God bless you all this Christmas season!