CHRISTMAS: God's Rescue Plan RealisedSample
The Christmas story is a story of God’s initiative and grace. It is the story of God rescuing his creation from the ruinous consequences of sin––namely: suffering and death.
It is difficult to overstate the scandalous nature of God’s action. At a time when all other gods were thought to be indifferent to humankind, whose favour could only be earned by extraordinary acts of “piety” such as sacrificing a first-born child, God declared his love for us by coming to us.
The word Emmanuel literally means “God with us”––and that’s what we experience with Jesus. Through Jesus, God shared in the suffering and temptations that we experience. And by dying for us, Jesus paid the price for our sins that could not be overlooked by a holy God. His action won the right for us to be with God in his kingdom, eternally.
I invite you to take your place there.
Prayer
Dear Father,
Your love for us is as relentless as it is beautiful. Thank you for honouring us with your love… and for making it possible for us to share in an eternal destiny with you.
I am so looking forward to it.
Scripture
About this Plan
The false gods invented by humankind to give definition to a god they knew must exist, were, unsurprisingly, very much like humankind. They had to be cajoled and bribed by acts of devotion to take notice of us. But the one true God has taken the initiative and seeks us out––to rescue us back to himself. And that is the Christmas story.
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