Why Christmas? (3)
3. In Christmas we understand our role in God’s plan.
In Christ we are no longer little children. We are sons and daughters of God who have come of age. And as His children we work in His business, we have responsibilities. We take on a role in His mission. The mission of Jesus is to save creation, and He has given us a part in that mission. At Christmas, the Son of God came into the world. He came as one of us. And as He returned to the Father, He left us here in His place. We are the body of Christ in the world. We carry on His mission.
Everything we read that Jesus told us, tells us that life in this world with Christ will not be comfortable. We should even expect danger. Salvation is freely given, but it will cost us everything. When we read the accounts of great Christians past they are never boring, comfortable stories.
In the words of David Platt:
Conclusion:
At Christmas, we don’t merely celebrate kitschy traditions or comfortable holidays. We see in Bethlehem God’s Kingdom powerfully breaking into this fallen world. And that is something not just to celebrate; it changes everything!
“But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” -Galatians 4:4,5
In Christ we are no longer little children. We are sons and daughters of God who have come of age. And as His children we work in His business, we have responsibilities. We take on a role in His mission. The mission of Jesus is to save creation, and He has given us a part in that mission. At Christmas, the Son of God came into the world. He came as one of us. And as He returned to the Father, He left us here in His place. We are the body of Christ in the world. We carry on His mission.
Everything we read that Jesus told us, tells us that life in this world with Christ will not be comfortable. We should even expect danger. Salvation is freely given, but it will cost us everything. When we read the accounts of great Christians past they are never boring, comfortable stories.
In the words of David Platt:
"Biblical Christianity is not a nice, decent, cozy, Christian, spin on the American Dream—as we wait for heaven. Biblical Christianity is about laying down your life and your rights for the spread of the Gospel. It is about embracing suffering. It’s about going to hard places, needy places, dangerous, difficult places, it’s about forsaking possessions and pleasures. It’s about sacrificing comforts. It’s about taking risks in faith."
Conclusion:
At Christmas, we don’t merely celebrate kitschy traditions or comfortable holidays. We see in Bethlehem God’s Kingdom powerfully breaking into this fallen world. And that is something not just to celebrate; it changes everything!
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