Food for Thought

This week we again celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. For many it will be another review of the often read story. For some it will be the first time, and for many in our world it will still be unread.  But the story doesn’t end with the birth of Jesus, the significance of his birth can only be realized by also understanding his death on a cruel Roman cross some thirty or so years later. A death planned by God the Father, a punishing death, a death by which Jesus took the penalty for our sin and made forgiveness possible to anyone who would believe and ask forgiveness.

Biographies are accounts of people often describing their birth, their life story, and their death. The New Testament offers several partial biographies of people. We are given a brief glimpse of a significant event in their lives but lack information on what conclusions they reached, or life changes they made as a result of that significant event.

For example, consider the woman of Samaria Jesus met at the community well. She was so excited she ran to tell her neighbours and friends that she thought this Jew she met at the well named Jesus might be the Messiah. Many friends came, they met with Jesus and became believers. But we are not given to know if the woman herself believed in Jesus.

The woman caught in adultery is another similar case. Jesus does not condemn her but tells her to go and sin no more. Once again, we really don’t know what was the result of her meeting with Jesus. Did she actually make lifestyle changes as a result of her meeting with Jesus? Did she believe he died and paid our sin penalty? Did she ask forgiveness and ask him to be her saviour? We really don’t know. The point is that our reading of, or listening to, the account of our Lord’s birth has little significance without also reading the account of his death. And even at that point there is little significance other than having a partial biography of a man who lived and died a couple of millennia ago.

God sent his son with the intention that he would take our punishment and make forgiveness possible for each one of us. Possible is the key word. The onus is on us to do sometime with what we have learned about Jesus. Sadly, we have many who have heard the story of the birth and death of Jesus perhaps many times but as of yet have failed to reach conclusions about his purpose and personally do anything with it. The Philippian jailor asked the apostles what must I DO to be saved? The apostles replied ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus’. He was challenged to do something with the knowledge he received.

I fear that there are many even within our churches who have heard the gospel many times, that is the good news that Jesus came to be born and to die that we might have the opportunity to be forgiven and saved from a terrible eternity.  But hearing must be accompanied by doing.  I hope and pray that the Christmas story will challenge us to learn the rest of the story and do something with what we have learned.  Acknowledge sin, ask forgiveness and be born again by the Spirit of God.                                                                                                                              Pastor Dave