Friday, December 2, 2011

The Manger and the Cross

 


   Christmas is my favorite time of the year because it brings me to recall all of the wonderful things the Father has done for us, mostly in giving us His Son! In remembering the joy of His birth, I can't help but see it through the blood of His cross. This was His message, even as a babe in a manger. "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

   That silent night was the beginning of a cycle Jesus was to complete in living out His life on earth. It wasn't until His death on the cross that we could see more clearly that He would end this journey with life in His resurrection and that He would be the Way in which we could receive new life. Life Death Life. In following His footsteps, we too experience this same cycle. The joy and privilege of life being breathed into us the day we were born into this world is something we should never stop thanking the Father for! The humility of dying to our sins is something we should never let ourselves forget. The pure happiness and honor of receiving new life through the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is something that demands our soul, our life, our all. This Christmas when we survey the manger, may we also survey the wondrous cross beyond it, and may it bring us all to our knees to worship this glorious King who came to save us from our sins!