This is a brief message shared at the Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day.
There is a special blessing in the Christmas message which is often missed by many.
• The birth of Jesus is not simply an interesting fact of history and wholly unrelated to your present life
• Christmas has to do with you.
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds,
• the personal importance of His coming was emphasized.
• He said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-12)
Have you ever thought of Christmas this way?
• That it was for you Jesus was born?
• It wasn’t just a message for the shepherds. It wasn’t just a sign for the wise men.
• When God sent His Son into this world, He sent Him to become your Saviour?
• There is a personal touch to the Christmas message.
• You were on His mind on Christmas day. It was for you that Jesus came.
Jesus did not come to be the inspiration of sacred art
• Or to be the theme of many carols and songs
• He did not come to be merely a good man or a great teacher.
• Jesus came specifically to be your Saviour, to save you from your sin.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
• If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator;
• If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist;
• If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist;
• If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer;
• But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour.
Jesus was the sacrifice for our sin. He died on the cross for you.
• He paid the price so that you and I can be reconciled with God.
• So Christmas is a personal message from a personal God who loves you.
• Saint Augustine puts it this way: “If you were the only one in the world who would receive His gift, He would still have come just for you.”
Would you accept God’s gift today, and acknowledge Jesus as your Saviour?
An ancient Scottish legend has this story.
A shepherd boy was tending a few sheep on the side of a mountain. One day while wandering in the wilderness, he came to a huge cave. There was a door to the cave and it was closed. And as he was looking around, he noticed a very beautiful flower.
The boy knelt down and pulled out the flower in his hands. He was admiring it when suddenly there was a loud noise. He looked up and saw the doors to the cave opening up right before his eyes. There were bright lights that shine from the inside of the mountain.
With the flower in his hands, the shepherd boy rushed inside. And his eyes widened because he saw piles of sparkling gold, diamonds, precious stones and jewellery. He began to gather them in his arms. Finally, with all that his arms could carry, the boy turned and started to leave the cave. Suddenly a voice said to him, "Don’t forget the best."
Thinking that perhaps he had overlooked some choice piece of treasure, the boy turned around and quickly picked up additional pieces of priceless treasure. As his arms literally overflowed with the treasures, he began to run out of the mountain cave. Again the voice said, "Don’t forget the best."
But the boy’s arms were filled, and he hurried outside. All of a sudden, there was a loud noise. The boy looked around and saw the mountain cave closing its doors.
A third time the shepherd boy heard the voice, and this time it said, "You forgot the best. For the beautiful flower is the key to the vault of the mountain."
We look for happiness in the world; for treasures of all kinds, for meaning and purpose to life.
• God says at Christmas: Jesus is the answer to our life’s problems.
• Just as the flower is the key to the treasure of the mountain, Jesus is the key to a meaningful, blessed life.
• Don’t forget the best this Christmas. Put your trust in Jesus as your Saviour and receive God’s abundant blessings.
