Christian Reflection and Prayer

Christmas Day

Scripture:

Exodus 40:34-38. TEXT: And the Word ... dwelt among
us (see John 1:14).


When God led the nation of Israel out of Egypt by the
hand of Moses, they traveled through the wilderness
until they reached Mount Sinai. On that mountain the
Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets,
and gave Moses the design to build the Tabernacle-a
special tent that served as the place of worship in the
wilderness. When Moses set up the Tabernacle with all
its furnishings, all Israel could see the glorious presence
of the Lord entering and filling that tent-a pillar of cloud
by day and a pillar of fire by night.

John has this Tent of Meeting in mind when he writes of
Jesus' birth. In Greek he writes, "The Word became flesh
and 'tabernacled' among us." Jesus' infant body is the
tent in which God's glory dwells night and day. Like the
Old Testament Tabernacle, He moves from place to place
among His people revealing His glory through word and
deed until His work of salvation is complete.

Of this same human body Jesus will later tell His
enemies, "Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in
three days" (see John 2:19). Indeed they nailed His body
to the cross and put Him to death. But through His
suffering and death Jesus satisfied God's wrath at our
sins, and freed us from hell. But His body didn't remain
dead. On the third day He rose it to life again, promising
one day He will raise our bodies and make them glorious
like His own.

THE PRAYER: 

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to dwell among us as
our Brother, revealing Your glory, and turning away Your
Father's wrath by taking our place on the cross. Fill us
with peace and joy this Christmas and always. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

(Day 24 of Advent)

Scripture:

Read Luke 1:26-38. Text: And the Word became flesh
(see John 1:14).

Go to your nearest manger scene and carefully study
Baby Jesus. Does He have a halo around His head?
Artists often include a halo to remind us this isn't just
any human baby. This is the eternal Son of God who
became one of us.

Up until this 14th verse John has been describing the
Child of Christmas, according to His divine nature as
the Son of God. He is the mighty Word of God, the
eternal Son. Everything in heaven and earth was
created through Him. He is the Light of men. Now,
as John reaches the pivotal moment in all human
history, he tells us, "The Word became flesh." In that
great, unfathomable mystery, Jesus takes our human
nature into His divinity: He is conceived by the power
of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

That is the mystery of Christmas-the majesty of God's
gracious plan. To save us from our sin, God's Son
became human just like us. As a human He could
place Himself under God's Law and earn our place in
heaven by His perfect life. As a human He could take
our place under God's wrath, suffering and dying for
our sins and disobedience. Being God His shed blood
was able to pay for the sins of the whole world. Being
God He could-and did-defeat Satan, sin and hell for all
of us.

From the manger to the cross and empty tomb He
experienced life's highs and lows: cold and heat, hunger
and thirst, a mother's embrace, the companionship of
friends, the ridicule and persecution of enemies, the
agony of death on a cross ... and the satisfaction of
rising to life again on the third day.

THE PRAYER: 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your incredible humility in
stooping down to become human. This You did so that
we might be adopted as sons and daughters of Your
Heavenly Father. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

(Day 23 of Adent)

Scripture:

Read 1 John 3:1-3. But to all who did receive Him, who
believed in His Name, He gave the right to become
children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the
will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God
(John 1:12-13).

The manger shows us the amazing humility of our Lord.
But it also stands as a stark reminder of the world that
rejected the very God who came to save it and give us
eternal life. In the brief span of a little more than 30 years
that Baby went from the manger to the cross to a tomb --
all at the hands of His own people who rejected Him.
 
But not everyone rejected Him. There were -- and are --
many individuals who receive Him and rejoice at His
appearing, even on that first Christmas. These include
Joseph and Mary, the shepherds, and the wise men who
saw His star, leading them on their long journey west.
Jesus didn't come in power, pomp or an irresistible show
of force. He came quietly and inconspicuously, a tiny
Baby lying in a feeding trough.

He comes to us the same way today -- through simple,
non-pretentious words, through a splash of water, through
simple bread and wine. He comes to us quietly, but He
does a remarkable thing. He gives us the right to become
His brothers and sisters: God's very own children. It's not
because of our genealogy, hard work, or lives of dedicated
service. We are born of God by the faith created in us by
the Holy Spirit.

THE PRAYER:  Holy Father, thank You for giving us faith
by which we receive the right to become Your children in
Jesus Christ our Savior. Keep us in this faith that we may
always remain part of Your forever family. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)