Behold The Lamb Of God!

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

Something always bothered me about the birth of Jesus. God had wise men track down our Lord to give Him precious gifts. God had angels declaring Jesus’ birth to shepherds in their fields, but why shepherds? Why not declare His birth to the entire town of Bethlehem? And why a barn in Bethlehem instead of a palace for Jesus to be born in?

Where else would the Lamb of God be born but in a stable, essentially a barn among other creatures. And to whom else would you declare the birth of a Lamb except to shepherds?

We focus on the happy story of a baby born in unusual conditions, a census that leads a Joseph to his tribal home and a pregnant Mary alongside him traveling miles only to give birth in a Bethlehem stable. Bethlehem was the city prophesied where our Lord would be born. But His sacrifice for our sins was also prophesied. It was His primary purpose, to set right the sins of humanity and to make a way for our salvation. It could only come about by the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb of God.

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Genesis 22:8

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:17

The birth of Jesus was a joyous event. The beginning of the end of sin’s hold on humanity had begun. Hope entered the world in the form of a humble child born in humble circumstances. Yet a greater purpose was behind it all. The birth foreshadowed a death and resurrection that would lead to the eternal reign of the Lamb of God and those He would lead into eternity with Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, it is hard to imagine You giving up the glory of heaven to come to earth and suffer so much for us. Thank You for humbling Yourself to save humanity and to lead us into Your kingdom where You will reign through eternity. Amen.

What Is On Your Christmas Tree?

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. Matthew 12:33

Trees figure large in scripture. The word “tree” turns up 257 times in the Bible. Jesus used trees in His parables. He once cursed a tree to make a point about the importance of bearing fruit. And we have made trees a central symbol for Christmas.

We place gifts under trees at Christmas. We decorate our trees with various ornaments, some to remind us of the real meaning of Christmas, others to remind us of Christmases past. We can use trees to help us focus on a Lord who was both born and celebrated at Christmas, and who ultimately was hung on a tree to purchase our salvation.

I encourage you this Christmas season to consider, to look intently at Christmas trees. When you think about gifts beneath the trees, remember that most precious of Gifts, our sweet Jesus. And when you look at the top of the tree, whether decorated with an angel or a star, let it point your heart upward to remember a Lord who died on a tree so that we can be with Him one day in heaven.

I love Christmas. I always have. But what I love more is the Lord of Christmas, the Savior who was born and died to give us a most priceless and precious gift of becoming the children of God.

Prayer: Lord our Redeemer, thank You for stepping down on earth, and rising up to heaven to make a way for humanity to follow after. Amen.