"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
Why did Jesus come? This is a question that is often asked by children during the Christmas season. If Jesus was God, why would He come as a baby? The answer is found in the Biblical passage above: “…He will save His people from their sins.” The reason Jesus came was to save us from our sins – to allow us to receive forgiveness that we could not obtain on our own. Jesus was born to a virgin, He lived a sinless life and at the end of His life He offered Himself a sacrifice for our sins. Through what He did we are able to obtain forgiveness through faith. This is the true Christmas message: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the Christmas season by remembering that Christ came for us to experience forgiveness and in doing so, empower us to forgive those in our lives that have hurt us as we continue our sermon series, “A Different Kind of Christmas.” Hope to see you then!
