Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
12/22/13
(Luke 2:8-14; Matt. 2:13, 16-18)
There are two sides of the Christmas story. You have the incredible, light-filled appearance of the angels to the Shepherds, announcing good news of great joy for all people because a Savior is born. And just miles away in Bethlehem, you have the terrible and senseless murder of innocent children. How do you reconcile these two sides of the Christmas story? In truth these two sides are the Christmas story. They are the reason for Christ coming into the world. Matthew, quoting the prophet Isaiah, summarized the meaning of Christmas this way: “These people who live in darkness will see a great light. They live in a place covered with the shadows of death, but a light will shine on them” (Isa 9:1–2).
Jesus came into this world precisely because of the depths of darkness and death that prevails in our experience. Maybe you circumstances are somewhat different than the stresses Mary and Joseph experienced or the tragedy that occurred in Bethlehem, but you none-the-less know the deep sorrow of loss, maybe you have gone through a divorce or lost a loved one, or feel lonely.
The Christmas story speaks to us today as much as it did 2000 years ago. It reveals three critical truths about Christ’s coming into the world, that brings good news of great joy to all people, that brings light into our darkness.
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(Luke 2:8-14; Matt. 2:13, 16-18)
There are two sides of the Christmas story. You have the incredible, light-filled appearance of the angels to the Shepherds, announcing good news of great joy for all people because a Savior is born. And just miles away in Bethlehem, you have the terrible and senseless murder of innocent children. How do you reconcile these two sides of the Christmas story? In truth these two sides are the Christmas story. They are the reason for Christ coming into the world. Matthew, quoting the prophet Isaiah, summarized the meaning of Christmas this way: “These people who live in darkness will see a great light. They live in a place covered with the shadows of death, but a light will shine on them” (Isa 9:1–2).
Jesus came into this world precisely because of the depths of darkness and death that prevails in our experience. Maybe you circumstances are somewhat different than the stresses Mary and Joseph experienced or the tragedy that occurred in Bethlehem, but you none-the-less know the deep sorrow of loss, maybe you have gone through a divorce or lost a loved one, or feel lonely.
The Christmas story speaks to us today as much as it did 2000 years ago. It reveals three critical truths about Christ’s coming into the world, that brings good news of great joy to all people, that brings light into our darkness.
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