Christmas 2014 Message
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
It’s Christmas Day!
While no one really knows what actual day in a calendar year Jesus was actually born, someone in history decided to say it was December 25th. The Holy Spirit purposefully left a specific birth date out of the Bible for one main reason: that we would celebrate His birth, life, death, burial and resurrection every single day. So, in our Christian household, we never really think about one day as the birth day of Jesus.
However, much of the Christian world DOES do that and I’m just grateful someone thinks about Him and His birth at all. (I would prefer that we all live it daily, though – imagine what a difference the body of Christ would make on the world then!)
Jesus came to the earth as a baby for one main reason:
We needed Him to come. So, He did...because God loves us.
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Jesus came for one purpose: to minister to us because we needed Him.
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” (Luke 4:18-19)
Jesus came because we were all, in some ways poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind and oppressed.
Laurie and I did some last minute shopping this week and we were struck with the reality of just how many people there are out there. I would imagine that 90% or more of them are still lost. These are people who ARE like we Christians WERE – people that this sobering verse describes:
“…at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)
Jesus came, whatever day of the year it was, so that something like this could be true for us and for them:
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)
Jesus came that we might belong to Him and, therefore, we would no longer be poor, that we would be healed of broken heartedness and blindness and set free. He came to build His Kingdom – not anyone else’s.
Today most of us have had food cooking and have and will gather for our Christmas Day meal as a family. (We did that as a family yesterday.) Some will be earthly family members and some will be family through the blood that Jesus shed for us....blood that we Christians share. All around the world people will be having a meal together, basically, in the name of Jesus just because it is Christmas Day.
It would be good if when we did that today we would give thanks to our Lord for coming to save us and for the relationships we have with the people around us – near and far. These come to us by the grace of God and are His gift to us.
“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
We are in relationship with you in Christ. YOU are a gift of God to us.
May you have a wonderful Christmas season and a blessed 2015.
Pastor Mike & Laurie McInerney
Mike McInerney Ministries