Christmas – Dec 24, 2022
MESSAGE
Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! Amen! Praise the Lord!
(OK….you can go home now!)
One of the reasons for coming to church is just that! —To acknowledge the joy that the Holy Spirit places in our hearts because of what Jesus has done for us!
What did Jesus do for us?
1. Left the glories of heaven to live among us on earth!
- Not as a rich and powerful ruler or as a high priest of the temple, but as a poor baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
- To be completely human while also being completely divine, in order to show us what it means to live our best lives on this earth
- To be a part of a family with all the joys and struggles that entailed.
- Being a refugee in Egypt
- Herod wanting to find and kill him
- Being part of the Jewish faith, and being raised in its traditions
- Having to learn the Hebrew scriptures
- Getting wrapped up in the teaching at the temple and losing his parents
- Working alongside his father in the carpentry shop, a quiet life
For us, Jesus knows what it means to struggle to make ends meet.
He knows how hard it is be a human being, even with the safety nets we’ve created.
He knows what it’s like to be a family at risk, to fall prey to politics, to be viewed as others as expendable. He knows the power and the value of being a family!
For all that we say, HALLELUJAH!
2. He taught us what it means to be a member of the Kingdom of God
- Exclusive access! Free access! Access by Faith in Him!
- Prioritizing for us the values of the kingdom and how they are meant to be lived
- Gifting us with the sacraments of baptism and holy eucharist!
- Challenging us to be intentional missionary disciples!
For us, Jesus gives us the grace to believe in him, if we’re willing! He’ll inspire us with stories of how we can be instruments of healing grace and reconciliation in a broken world. He’ll welcome us into the church through baptism and give us strength for the journey in Holy Communion. He’ll show us how we can emulate his own example of self-giving by sharing with others what we’ve found by believing in his visions for the Kingdom.
For all that we say, HALLELUJAH!
He paid the ultimate price for his love of us.
- Suffering and dying on a cross
- Redeeming us by shedding his Most Precious Blood on that cross
- Not asking for our permission to do that and not asking if we were worthy
- He did it so that we might be able to saved!
For us, Jesus gives us an example of how suffering can be redemptive. It can restore us to greater hope and faith and love in God. He shows us we can be missionaries of the precious blood by reaching out to those who are far off, who’ve given up hope, who’ve lost their bearings in life. He shows us how we can love without expecting anything in return.
For all that we say, HALLELUJAH!
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