In Paul’s letter to the
Colossians 1:9-20 we hear in part: "He has rescued us from the power of
darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
There is a story in Luke
(2:22-40 NRSV) that tells about the baby Jesus being presented to the Lord at
the temple in Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph. There was a devout man named Simeon
who was guided by the Spirit to come into the temple at this time. As Luke tells
us, "It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see
death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah." Luke goes on to tell us that
when Simeon saw the baby Jesus he, "...took him in his arms and praised
God, saying, 'Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according
to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in
the presence of all peoples...'"
Simeon truly felt rescued.
He had finally seen his Savior and held Him in his arms. Simeon was ready to
face death with the knowledge of salvation. Our time on earth is short and we,
like Simeon, have the blessing of knowing the Messiah, our Savior, Emmanuel, in
our time. Each Christmas it is proper for us to hold the baby Jesus in our arms
and give thanks to God for sending His only Son to rescue us from the power of
darkness. We are redeemed and forgiven through Christ. The gift of salvation is
ours in His kingdom. We may not want to put Him down until next Christmas.
As children of our Lord and Master we have a great inheritance. As does
any heir, we have a choice as to what to do with it. At this time of
celebration of the birth of Jesus, it is important that we reflect, as St. Paul
did in Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7, on the reason for Christ's coming and its
meaning as our inheritance. Faith is a greater master than the law. If we
practice it, faith is our key to God's kingdom.
No worldly ruler can
conquer our faith. What a gift God has given us through His Son. It is an
inheritance unmatched in the natural world. In John's Gospel (1:1-18 NRSV) in
speaking of Christ he says, "From his fullness we have all received, grace
upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is
close to the Father's heart, who has made him known." John, the baptizer,
recognized this as he prepared the way for his cousin Jesus.
When the Holy Spirit came
upon Jesus while John was baptizing Him, it was obvious to John that Jesus was
without sin. The child that was born in a manger became God's teacher and
finally a perfect offering for our sin, as He was without sin. Instead of the
law being our guide and master, we have become the heirs of faith in God
through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
This is the Christmas
story that we must take with us and live out in the coming year. We have a
great inheritance. We must use it wisely. We must love God and one another with
our faith at the very center of us. No man can destroy it. It is ours to keep
for eternity.
This is what St. Paul
tells us in Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7. "Now before faith came, we were
imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore
the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified
by faith...But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a
woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so
that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God
has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you
are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through
God."
No comments:
Post a Comment