From Christmas to the Cross

Christmas is great, fun, and pleasant... It is truly amazing, the God of the universe, set aside his Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence, and became a helpless baby, born of a human woman, impregnated miraculously by the Holy Spirit (she was still a virgin). He relied upon her for his food, and care.

But the Christmas story, as nice as it is, if God visited us, and did nothing to save us from the result of our sin, is useless. Jesus came to earth for two reasons: first, to show us how to live submitted to the Father's will and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and second to pay the penalty we incurred by our sin. The penalty of death was our punishment, yet He (Jesus) willingly paid the penalty for us.

Jesus lived a sinless life, with only human abilities, but by the power of the Holy Spirit in His life, He worked many supernatural miracles. He said His followers would be able to do the same. Peter, Paul, and the other apostles did also perform healings, and miracles.

Jesus said He came to die. He told Pilate that Pilate had no power over Him. He could have called down legions of angels, to rescue Him, but He chose to allow Himself to be put to death. This was the culmination of God's promise all the way back to the garden of Eden, God sacrificed two sheep so He could clothe Adam and Eve. This was a type of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He has paid the penalty for our sin.

Thank you, Lord Jesus

Happy Birthday, Jesus

Today, December 25th is the day that we in Christendom celebrate the birth of Jesus... But, is it the correct date? Obviously, no one knows for sure, but there are two main theories.

1. In the Spring, around the time that is traditionally, Passover or (today, Easter)

2. The time currently celebrated (Dec or Jan)

The Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm offers the perspectives, with links so you can investigate for yourself.

Personally, I do not think it matters much. God is timeless, and as long as we honor God in what we do, I do not think He cares which day we celebrate what... Paul's Epistle to the Romans reminds us of this philosophy, and I find it refreshing. If you have not read Romans recently, check it out. I recommend reading it straight thru, then breaking it down, and really reading and focusing on one chapter per day. This holds true to each book of the Bible.

May the Christ of Christmas, the God man, the Lord and Savior of the world, be born in your heart today, as He was long ago in Bethlehem...

Next post, Christmas, looking toward Good Friday...