John 1:9-13

John 1:9-13 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of D-Day.  D-Day was one of the most remarkable days of the 20th Century, in my opinion, because the forces of those in favor of freedom threw themselves and all of their might against those who were decimating Europe out of hatred.  To read the descriptions of the battle-scarred beaches is harrowing and grim.  I have stood on those beaches, and the legendary courage of men who faced the enemy and pressed forward astounds me.  To stand at the top of Pointe du Hoc and contemplate the bravery required to climb up a cliff in the face of overwhelming enemy opposition is to be awed at the forces fighting for liberty.
  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
  Jesus came to us as a Savior, and humanity rejected him.  Upon his very birth, Herod sought to have him killed.  The religious leaders of Jesus' day opposed him, hated him, sought to discredit and destroy him.  And yet still, Jesus loved us.  Still, Jesus came to us.  Though the forces of sin opposed him and death reached for him to claim him, Jesus came to us, arms open wide, ready to love, ready to conquer.  Jesus is the conquering hero who has defeated death and yet still has the graciousness to knock on the door of your heart and ask if he can enter to dine with you. 
  We worship a Savior who comes as a hero in the face of human sin, the opposition, and withstands our hatred, our cries to crucify him.  The love of Jesus conquers, and we are liberated, freed, and loved.