As I was listening to the latest Faith Footnotes episode, “Luther at the Manger,” special guest Pastor Nathaniel Biebert said something that struck me.
Regarding the content of his book, Luther at the Manger (Christmas sermons by Martin Luther translated from German into modern English), Pastor Biebert said something to this effect: “You cannot walk away from [reading] these sermons without knowing that Jesus Christ is for you.”
Really, we want that in every devotion and sermon we read and listen to, don’t we? After all, the main message of the entire Bible is essentially “Look at what God has done for you because of his great love.” God sent Jesus into the world to be born, to live, to die, and to rise again.
FOR YOU. To rescue you from sin, death, and the devil. To restore true and lasting peace in your relationship with God. To give to you a home in heaven for all eternity. Keep that amazing truth in the forefront of your mind, dear Christian—especially as you worship at Christmastime in your church with family, friends, and strangers. Maybe your church will be packed; maybe it won’t.
Regardless, it can be easy to feel lost in that crowd of people, or if you haven’t been to church in a while, to feel like you don’t belong, or that God’s great love the pastor is preaching about might be for everyone else, but it certainly isn’t for you.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus is for you. You are exactly why Jesus came from heaven above. Think about that for a moment or two. The deeply personal connection you have with the Creator and Savior of the world is astonishing but absolutely true.
This Christmastime, as you travel with the shepherds to Bethlehem and gaze in wonder at the Christ Child, remember that Jesus did this for you. He set aside the full use of his divine power and majesty and became a child for you. He came to die a shameful death on the cross to set you free. Don’t walk away from church without knowing that this Christ Child—and what he came to do—is for you.
As you peer down at that sleeping babe, wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger, look up. Look around. See your friends, family, fellow congregation members, strangers, and first-time visitors. What Jesus did for you, he did for them too.
Sharing that doesn’t diminish our joy. Ours is not a watered-down joy, diluted as it is shared with more and more people. Rather, it is a joy that is strengthened and accentuated because it is shared.
The great, undeserved, amazing love that Jesus has shown to us, he has shown to others as well! We know the life-changing peace and joy he gives in his Word: sins forgiven, the Father’s love freely given, and a home in heaven waiting for us. Jesus offers that same peace and joy to everyone.
Our joyful response to Jesus’ amazing love, then, is one we echo from the shepherds at that very first Christmas. We beckon to friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors, and say, “Come and see! Come and see.” As the prophet Isaiah foretold, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). To you. To me. To us.
Merry Christmas!
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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