This is the One Whose Birth We Celebrate

This is the One Whose Birth We Celebrate

By David Woodward

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a young unmarried virgin.  The Bible tells us that he was God, who became a man in order to reach a broken humanity.  Although sent from heaven, he was born in poverty, and raised in a poor, working class home.  His first visitors were humble sheepherders.   His seconded recorded visitors were men of renown wisdom who brought extravagant gifts.  A jealous tyrant sought to have the infant Jesus killed, and in the process murdered many other helpless young children.

The baby grew to manhood and stamped his mark on the world by healing sick people, feeding hungry people, casting out demons, raising the dead, and showing the love of God to the most sinful of people.  He touched lepers, blessed children, and wepted over the brokenness of the human race.  By his own admission, he came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.  He did give his life, willingly allowing angry men to nail him to a cross.

The Bible tells us that he did this as a willing sacrifice for your sins, my sins and ultimately the sins of the world.  But that was not the end.  Jesus rose from the dead.  He returned to heaven bearing the scars of his crufixion.  And, according the Scriptures, one day he will return – this time not as a impoverished servant, but as a conquering King.

This is the one whose birth we celebrate.  We don’t just celebrate the birth of Jesus, we honour his life.  We identify with his principles.  We champion his ideals.  We bind ourselves to him, this Messiah who lived, died and lives again.  We pledge ourselves to the Jesus’ life of accepting sinners, helping the poor and hurting, walking by faith, rejoicing in forgiveness, overflowing with generosity, loving life yet welcoming death, living with boldness and humility, welcoming strangers, dispensing grace, always seeking to live the values of the Kingdom of God in the here and now, while looking for the fullness of the Kingdom of God yet to come.

This is the one whose birth we celebrate.