“There is only one God and He sent His Son into the world as a man.” I have always been brought up around people who believe this statement to be true, and so I might be forgiven for forgetting how strange it sounds to the ears of those who did not grow up the way that I did. We Christians are a strange bunch and we say some strange things. “I have been born again.” “God’s Spirit dwells in me.” “I am forgiven because someone else took the death that I deserved.” “God cares for me.” These statements strike many people as being bizarre or even arrogant, and they are all connected to the incredible notion that God actually has a Son and that He sent Him to earth as a baby roughly 2013 years ago. I would like to ask you to momentarily attempt to lay aside your familiarity with the story of Jesus and ask yourself why we should know anything about a child born to obscure people in an obscure village over two thousand years ago. It is certainly true that Jesus grew to become a man and made a tremendous impact on many who were close to Him, but there have been many remarkable people in the history of the world. They inspired the creation of nations, led armies into stupendous victories, or impacted the world of philosophy and knowledge and yet none of them was able to sustain a credible claim to being divine.
Many men have claimed godhood, but no one seriously entertains the idea that someone like Caesar Augustus is the son of god, even though he was proclaimed as such during his lifetime. Normally a claim to being the Son of God in flesh does not outlive the one who makes it, but the belief that Jesus is God’s Son has persisted. Why? I do not believe that the answer is to be found in the social, political, or philosophical influence of Jesus. Rather, I believe that Jesus is still regarded as the Son of God by many because of His transformational influence. Societies, philosophies, and political systems come and go, but the need for change in the human heart remains the same. We celebrate the birth of Christ today because many continue to see the inauguration of God’s change process in their lives in the face of the Child in the manger. The story of Mary, Joseph, and Bethlehem has been passed down to us not simply because some people in the first century thought it was a great story. The truth was (and is) that it is a crazy story, but it is the story of the One who brought transforming forgiveness, peace, and hope to the human heart. Isn’t that the reason that this season means so much to you? Your salvation has come through the Son of the promise who not only lived two millennia ago, but who lives still and who is making changes in your life today. The story of Jesus has always been transmitted as it leaps from the pages of Scripture onto the pages of human hearts that are being made new by power of Jesus.
Let me encourage you to give expression to the transformational power of Christ in your life this Christmas season. Tell the Bethlehem story through your changed attitudes toward sharing and caring this season. Tell the Bethlehem story through your quest for reconciliation in a strained relationship and through your confession of wrong. Tell the Bethlehem story through your contentment with the material blessings that the Lord has given you and your diligence to work because of love of Jesus rather than love of money. Rejoice that you are changed and are being changed by the changeless power of the only Son of God sent into the world as a man.
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