There is this time in the calendar year when it seems that a lot of things just plain shut down. It's that week between Christmas and New Year. While quite a few businesses are open (after all, profit is god for so many), so many things are closed down. Schools, more than a few businesses, and even many church events shut down, essentially. A lot of church staff take time off to recharge, recouperate, and recover.
That can leave you with a sense of, Jesus is born. Now what? The thing is, the accounts of Jesus' life in the Gospels can even lend themselves to this kind of thinking. If you have ever read them, you might notice that Jesus' birth is only mentioned in two, and only one of those goes into any kind of an extended look at the birth and His childhood. By the time we hit chapter 3 in Luke's Gospel (the most extended look at Jesus' birth and childhood), we already have Jesus full grown, beginning His itenerant ministry.
Traditionally, this period of time is when we observe the twelve days of Christmas. Perhaps you never knew where that came from. That's the period of time between Christmas and the day we observe called Epiphany (some others call it Three Kings Day, as observance of the Magi coming to see Jesus). From then on, we begin to see Jesus revealing who He is, which the Magi do as they bring gifts appropriate for the King of the Jews.
So, Jesus is born. Now what? Now we focus on what He came to do. Part of that means that He has to show who He really is, with His teachings and His miracles. These are to point to who He is, and not to describe God as just someone who does whatever we want Him to do. Jesus' miracles have a very specific purpose: to show that He is the Son of God, as had been promised.
Jesus is born. Now what? Now get ready to see Him for Who He really is. King of Kings, Lord of Lords, come to serve and to pay the price to redeem a sinful, fallen world.
That can leave you with a sense of, Jesus is born. Now what? The thing is, the accounts of Jesus' life in the Gospels can even lend themselves to this kind of thinking. If you have ever read them, you might notice that Jesus' birth is only mentioned in two, and only one of those goes into any kind of an extended look at the birth and His childhood. By the time we hit chapter 3 in Luke's Gospel (the most extended look at Jesus' birth and childhood), we already have Jesus full grown, beginning His itenerant ministry.
Traditionally, this period of time is when we observe the twelve days of Christmas. Perhaps you never knew where that came from. That's the period of time between Christmas and the day we observe called Epiphany (some others call it Three Kings Day, as observance of the Magi coming to see Jesus). From then on, we begin to see Jesus revealing who He is, which the Magi do as they bring gifts appropriate for the King of the Jews.
So, Jesus is born. Now what? Now we focus on what He came to do. Part of that means that He has to show who He really is, with His teachings and His miracles. These are to point to who He is, and not to describe God as just someone who does whatever we want Him to do. Jesus' miracles have a very specific purpose: to show that He is the Son of God, as had been promised.
Jesus is born. Now what? Now get ready to see Him for Who He really is. King of Kings, Lord of Lords, come to serve and to pay the price to redeem a sinful, fallen world.
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