Good Morning and Merry Christmas!

I’m not sure what all of you are doing this morning.  I’m currently sitting on the couch at my folks place drinking some coffee and waiting for the rest of the family to get ready for breakfast.  Christmas morning can bring a range of emotions for all of us.  Sin in this world has made everything so unpredictable for us.  Maybe this is a happy time for you that you look forward to every year.  Maybe what you hope would be a peaceful time of year is laced with painful reminders of hurt and betrayal by other people.  No matter what, all of us are effected by the devastation that is sin.

That’s why this morning I wanted to remind all of us of the truth of Luke 1:67-69:

“And [John the Baptist's] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us…”

This is the beginning of a prophesy from Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.  See, the call on the life of John the Baptist was to announce the coming of Jesus Christ.  So, it seems only fitting that when John the Baptist was born, his father prophesied about the purpose of God sending His Son, the purpose of Christmas.

I love this passage for grammatical reasons, even though I am awful at grammar!  However, I think I know enough about it to recognize that this passage is definitely in the past tense.  The Holy Spirit was declaring through Zechariah that the coming of Jesus Christ was not something that would eventually save us.  Zechariah was declaring that redemption has been accomplished!  From the moment that Adam and Eve saw the beautiful creation fractured by sin, God began working a plan of redemption to save us all from ourselves.  There is no doubt that we all will have a holiday season that will be disappointing in some way or at some point.  That is the reality of sin.  However, the prophets have declared, history has seen, and the Holy Spirit reminds us all that redemption has been accomplished.  Salvation is here!  That is what today is about.  We are saved by the incredible grace of God.

So, no matter what you are doing this morning, let this be a reminder.  If this is a time where the Christmas Season brings more pain than joy, rest in the fact that redemption has been accomplished.  Sin, which is the culprit behind all the pain, has been defeated and there will be a day where it is no more (Rev 21).  If this is a time of year where you are blessed with friends, family, and more gifts then you really need, be reminded of your need for a savior.  Sin effects us all.  Even when everything seems to be going well, our only hope really is in Christ.  Don’t allow your joy to rest on frivolous things that will pass away.

Know that I love all of you guys and I cannot wait for us all to come back together for the Spring Semester.  Have an incredible Christmas, a great New Year, and a restful break from school.

Christ has come,

Allan