“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” Matthew 2:16
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4
BROKEN ORNAMENTS
Some ornaments on our Christmas trees are special and memorable. They represent something or someone. Still, there are many that have not survived, have broken and will never be replaced. Some of our Christmas trees are real. They look different, smell different and feel different than an artificial one. They need to be watered regularly. But because they are cut, eventually they begin to wither and the branches begin to droop. At some point, watering won’t reverse the effects. When it comes to Christmas, many people feel lonely, depressed and saddened for a variety of reasons. Things break in our lives and we feel that these can never be replaced. Things change in our lives and we lament they can’t be changed back to what they used to be. For Christians, there is often great guilt associated with these feelings. We might believe that we shouldn’t feel this way, that we shouldn’t think this way, that something must be seriously wrong in our relationship with God, that strong, faithful and mature Christians shouldn’t cry.
EVERLASTING LOVE
Jesus’ birth caused great weeping in Bethlehem. He was the target of Herod’s murderous rage and though he escaped, many baby boys did not. (Mat. 2:16) But Jesus’ birth was not accidental. It was in the fulness of God’s time that he was born (Gal. 4:4), as much as it was that he would die. (Eph. 1:10) There are no tears unaccounted for in God’s eyes and there are no lives forgotten about in God’s mind. His love is from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus was perfect love coming into a broken and dying world. Jesus is perfect love coming into broken and dying homes and into broken and dying hearts. Jesus came because sinners needed a savior and he was the only one who could save them.
REJOICE!
This Christmas day, and every day after, remember that Jesus is Emmanuel, ‘God with us’, who faithfully comes into the midst of brokenness and weeping. Furthermore, the overarching reality is that because Jesus has eternally set us free from sin and its power over our lives, there is presently no pain or suffering, sadness or depression or any other thing rooted so deeply in our lives that he cannot reach in his grace and heal in his mercy. Nothing can separate us from his everlasting love (Rom. 8:37-39). Rejoice, for he has come!
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