Merry Christmas


Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
John 8:56-59 (ESV)

Abraham was able to rejoice because God is not the God of the dead but the living. So likewise, when Jesus was born, the entire universe witnessed a miracle. Those who knew what was happening rejoiced. Those who had no clue continued with their mundane, purposeless lives because they missed the significance of the moment. 

Abraham was and is not dead; he is very much alive and in the very presence of God, as are all those who died in Christ. Jesus spoke of things as they are, not as they might be. 

Christ's birth caused those who knew God to rejoice and those who opposed Him to shudder. His death caused darkness in the universe for a bit and allowed evil a moment to rejoice until all heaven broke loose and celebrated Jesus' resurrection. Death was now swallowed up in victory. 

The birth of Christ is the beginning of the end of the self-imposed death penalty and deserves our heartiest celebration. 

"And the angel said to them, Stop being afraid. For behold, I am bringing you good tidings of great joy, which joy is of such a nature that it shall pertain to all the people, because there was born to you today a Saviour who is Christ, the Lord, in the city of David.  And this shall be an unusual and distinguishing token of identification for you; you shall find a new-born infant which has been wrapped in cloth bands, and is lying in a feeding-trough.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the army of heaven, praising God and saying,  Glory in the highest places to God, and upon earth peace among men of good will."
Luke 2:10-14 (Wuest )

Those who know rejoice—those who do not endure cope and press on with meaningless lives. 

May you rejoice this Christmas, as Abraham did and does, today and throughout eternity. 

Merry Christmas



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