•Monday, December 20, 2010
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 NIV
I always get choked up when I hear the song, "Mary Did You Know?" As Mary cradles her precious infant to her chest, how could she fully understand that he was God incarnate and that he had come to bring salvation to past, present, and future generations? Or that it would be achieved through a brutal death? As she kisses his soft brow, how could she imagine that one day it would be pierced with thorns? It would have broken her heart.
But we know that her sweet baby grew into a man who healed the sick, made the blind see, and fed thousands of hungry people--only to be sentenced to death on a cross. If that had been the end, how tragic a story it would be, both for Mary and for the world. But after three days, Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin and death forever.
When we sing "Away in a Manger" or look at the darling child in the nativity scene, we know the full story. Without the cross and the resurrection, there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas. And had Jesus not chosen to accept the limitations of human form and enter the world in a dark stable, there would be no Easter.
As we celebrate the Christmas holiday, let's keep the cross in perspective as it shadows over the manger. Jesus gave us the greatest gift that could be given: forgiveness and the opportunity to enter into a relationship with the God of the universe.
I always get choked up when I hear the song, "Mary Did You Know?" As Mary cradles her precious infant to her chest, how could she fully understand that he was God incarnate and that he had come to bring salvation to past, present, and future generations? Or that it would be achieved through a brutal death? As she kisses his soft brow, how could she imagine that one day it would be pierced with thorns? It would have broken her heart.
But we know that her sweet baby grew into a man who healed the sick, made the blind see, and fed thousands of hungry people--only to be sentenced to death on a cross. If that had been the end, how tragic a story it would be, both for Mary and for the world. But after three days, Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin and death forever.
When we sing "Away in a Manger" or look at the darling child in the nativity scene, we know the full story. Without the cross and the resurrection, there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas. And had Jesus not chosen to accept the limitations of human form and enter the world in a dark stable, there would be no Easter.
As we celebrate the Christmas holiday, let's keep the cross in perspective as it shadows over the manger. Jesus gave us the greatest gift that could be given: forgiveness and the opportunity to enter into a relationship with the God of the universe.
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