12 Days of Christmas: Day Ten
"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God gave a gift to the world. We sing songs like Joy To The World, Silent Night, and O Come All Ye Faithful to celebrate and remember the Christ-child and the mercy He brought to humankind. He provided a way for peace; for reconciliation with God. He offered forgiveness and proclaimed God's love.
Jesus came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He died and was raised to life, proving He had authority over sin and death; that is not our doom. There is hope. Through Him we overcome a destructive fate.
But that's not all Jesus did. He didn't just come to die. He came to teach. He came to live a different way that wasn't entrenched in religious piety, pride, and self-righteousness. If anyone had a right to live that way, Jesus did. But He didn't. He gave up His right to judge and condemn. Instead, He chose to love and forgive and give humankind the ability to do the same for one another.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you...Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:21-23)
Just as He came to demonstrate the Father's love, Jesus sent His followers to do the same: to forgive sins and live a different way--this way of grace and humility and being a gift to humankind; He did not send them to do what He did not do. He sent them to love, forgive, and offer peace.
He does the same with His followers today. We have His words of life to live by, and He gives us the power to live differently and be a gift to the world. Are you living as God's gift to the world? To your family? To your friends? To your community? To those with different values and beliefs? To those who worship or serve differently than you? Are you gracious, compassionate, humble, gentle? Are you at peace? Are you living like Jesus did? Do you talk like Him and act like Him? Do you know Him well enough to know what that looks like?
We like to keep Jesus in the manger, but He didn't stay in the manger. He came to be human, and He led an extraordinary life. You can do the same. You too can be a gift for the world.
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last...The Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. This is my command: Love each other." John 15:16-17
"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21
Jesus came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He died and was raised to life, proving He had authority over sin and death; that is not our doom. There is hope. Through Him we overcome a destructive fate.
But that's not all Jesus did. He didn't just come to die. He came to teach. He came to live a different way that wasn't entrenched in religious piety, pride, and self-righteousness. If anyone had a right to live that way, Jesus did. But He didn't. He gave up His right to judge and condemn. Instead, He chose to love and forgive and give humankind the ability to do the same for one another.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you...Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:21-23)
Just as He came to demonstrate the Father's love, Jesus sent His followers to do the same: to forgive sins and live a different way--this way of grace and humility and being a gift to humankind; He did not send them to do what He did not do. He sent them to love, forgive, and offer peace.
He does the same with His followers today. We have His words of life to live by, and He gives us the power to live differently and be a gift to the world. Are you living as God's gift to the world? To your family? To your friends? To your community? To those with different values and beliefs? To those who worship or serve differently than you? Are you gracious, compassionate, humble, gentle? Are you at peace? Are you living like Jesus did? Do you talk like Him and act like Him? Do you know Him well enough to know what that looks like?
We like to keep Jesus in the manger, but He didn't stay in the manger. He came to be human, and He led an extraordinary life. You can do the same. You too can be a gift for the world.
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last...The Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. This is my command: Love each other." John 15:16-17
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