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Let’s talk this morning about life.
When Caleb was born, there was an
abundance of life. There was screaming
and twisting and crying and reaching, and it was joyous.
As he’s grown, there is more
abundance—more screaming, more crying, more reaching, more twisting and
running. He’s only grown larger and
louder over the past year, and there is abundant life within him—he squeals in
delight, he claps his hands with exuberance; he races back and forth across our
lives. Rachel and I struggle to keep pace
with such abundant life. We sit at
opposite ends of the hall and watch him work his way back and forth down the
hallway, filled with laughter and delight.
I do not understand how my soul can be so happy.
It’s amazing to think of the baby
Jesus in the same way. Can you picture
him as a newborn babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, wriggling in the
manger? Can you imagine him, the Savior
of the world, racing unsteadily up and down little hallways and out in the
dusty field? Can you picture the King of
Kings jumping in mud puddles and chasing the chickens nearby, Mary and Joseph
shaking their heads as they wonder how they’ll ever keep up with such energy?
Tonight, on Christmas Eve, we
celebrate the birth of our Savior, the one who took on flesh and dwelt among
us, the one who came and moved into the neighborhood. Jesus Christ lived for thirty three years on
this earth, and for much of that time he lived and worked and laughed and
played just as you and I do. He came, in
his own words, that we may have life and have it abundantly. He came to redeem us, to offer us a gift of
new life, of new joy and wonder at what God is doing among us.
He came to give us life.
So when we think about
Christianity, let’s not forget about life.
Let’s not forget that Jesus Christ has come into this world to show us
how to live. For thirty three years he
lived the perfect life, and he did so with a purpose—to teach us, every one of
us, how to live our own lives. He was a
model for us, a demonstration of what the Christian life is supposed to be
like.
Jesus Christ invites you to welcome
him into your life, to survey the landscape of your existence, and to offer it
all to him. You work and your play, your
laughter and your leisure, is all meant to be offered to him. He wants all of it, so that he can redeem it. We can serve God in our lives, in the living
of them. When you go to work, remember
that he has redeemed your work. When you
enjoy your hobbies or sit down at a good meal, remember that he has redeemed
it. He lived among us, worked among us,
ate with us and laughed with us, all of it in an effort to show us that life is
good. It is a grand gift, meant to be
enjoyed! Life isn’t just something to
put up with until we get to heaven—it’s something to savor, to relish, and to
offer to God. We are most fully alive
when we are living with an awareness of God’s redeeming presence among us.
Jesus Christ was born on this earth
on Christmas, and for 33 years he lived among us. He did so with purpose—to show us that life
is a wonderful thing, meant to be lived to the fullest, offered to God. When we are baptized, we read in Romans, we
are joined into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You don’t have to wait for heaven
for your life to begin. Let your life be
lived here and now with reckless abandon—let’s allow God to be the Lord of every
part of your day. When you work and
play, when you laugh and cry, when you eat and when you sleep, do it all for
the glory of God. Seek to model Christ’s
perfect life with all your heart, and you’ll see that he has redeemed life and
offers you abundant life that begins here, at the manger, carries forward
through the cross, and onward into eternal life with him.
Christ is born! Christ lives forever! Let our lives give glory to him!
Let us pray.
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