Joy To The World Series

Joy to the world

Luke 2:1-11

Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever. May The favour of the Lord be continue to hold you up and bless you to see many wonders during Christmas. On this Christmas Eve, I would like to meditate with you three favours we have through Jesus Christ under the theme joy to the world. Such as, God became a man, God became a messiah, and God became The message of salvation.

God became a man (Luke 2:1-7)

For many centuries God spoke with the fallen humanity through his prophets, servants of God by many ways and means but in our days he has spoken to us through His Son and Our Lord Jesus Christ. So God became a man. Jesus was not a mythological personality. He was not a ghost. But an historical person. He was not a hero of a story fabricated by many as we heard many stories saying ‘long long ago’ a man was born. He was very much a man lived in our history like all of us with daily chores of life yet has set an exemplary life to follow.

St. Luke presents history of our Lord Jesus with a clear link and context of the personalities of his time, and of his era. He mentioned three important references such as:

* Firstly, the connection between the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the census decree of Caesar Augustus under Quirinius, and the appearance of John the Baptist based on the dates from Roman and Jewish history. So the history of Jesus belongs to the world history.

* Secondly, the connection between the crucifixion and death of Jesus with Pilate the Governor of Judaea. Luke establishes the political innocence of Jesus in the eyes of the Romans. Luke proves that Jesus was not a Political restrictionist. He was political apologetic made Romans to feel guilty for the crucifixion of Jesus.

* Thirdly, the connection between the history of Jesus as the beginning of the ongoing church history yet never became the person of the past history. He continues to influence the world history through church history (Ref: Joseph A Fitzmyer, Gospel according to Luke).

So, God became a Man. Precisely the incarnation of God has taken place in the form of a man in the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the distance between man and God has been reduced, and through his death and resurrection, it was completely erased. A new relationship has been created through Jesus Christ. God made his dwelling among men not as untouchable God, sacred and unreachable God (1 Timothy 1:14, Psalm 113:5, 135:21, 1 Kings 8:12, 27, 19:15, 1 Chronicles 13:6, 17:5, Psalm 46:4, 80:1). But he decided to live with Israelites through their sanctuaries and tabernacles (Exodus 25:8, 29:46).

But God became a friend, and an exemplary person through Jesus Christ. God identified himself with the humanity with their daily struggles for food, water, dignity and divinity. He has shown himself as reachable, approachable and compassionate ever loving God. At the same time he lives with all those who are humble, broken (Isaiah 57:15). He came and lived among the countries of the Naphtali and Zebulun (Matthew 4:13). He lives among you when you know him and obey him (John 14:17,23). He never lives in the temples, churches and shrines but in your hearts (Acts 17:24, 2 Corinthians 6:16).

God was portrayed as a furious, angry and consuming God in the Old Testament but now he has come as a humble person, reliable and loveable person in Jesus Christ. He became a real hero of everyone. He had the charisma to attract anyone and everyone on the earth at all generations.

He became the hope of the hopeless people and the Lord of all. He became an address and an identity of humanity. He became a member of our family. Today, on this Christmas Day, Jesus has born into every house as a loveable boy, therefore whoever welcomes him, they find the joy therefore joy to the world because Jesus is born today.

Is it not true that the birth of Jesus has brought dignity to humanity? Yes, he changed the Dignity of all irrespective of nationalities, personalities, classes and castes. The birth of Jesus made everyone equal as Paul puts it in Galatians that no more Greeks or Romans, Jews or gentiles, no more male or female, All are one (Galatians 3:28).. Through this Christ Jesus, the lesser being of humanity has upgraded to higher than the status of Angels. The book of Hebrews says that God has ordered angels to Serve humanity (Hebrews 1:14).

God became the Messiah (Luke 2:8-11)

The Jews were waiting for a messiah. The term "messiah" refers to "the anointed", designated, and consecrated for specific purposes. Persons who were anointed had been elected, designated, appointed, given authority, qualified, and equipped for specific offices and tasks.