A Savior Is Born

Christmas is here! The long-anticipated holiday has arrived. Each year we wait and prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ like no other holiday on the calendar. Much energy, expenditure, and time is given to the preparation of Christmas. That is not to say such attention is unwarranted or excessive when compared to other holidays. The commercialism that revolves around Christmas is for another conversation. With that said, the Advent of Christ is truly a profound epoch of the Bible, and one that is highly anticipated throughout the pages of the Old Testament. This cannot be overstated. C.S. Lewis once said, “The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of earth—the very thing the whole story has been about.” Ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3, God promised a Savior who would provide freedom from the law and the bondage of sin. We know this Savior to be none other than the divine Son of God, born to set His people free (Gal. 4:4-5). This plan of redemption was foreknown by God and longed for by Old Testament saints. Each year we wait to celebrate and remember the coming of God in the flesh. And as we do, it behooves us to remember God’s people who waited for centuries for the coming of their champion, Messiah—the King who is greater than David and Solomon, the Priest who is superior to Aaron and Melchizedek, and the Prophet who surpasses Moses and Elijah. God’s people waited in faith and died in faith even though they did not receive the promise foretold them (Heb. 11:39). It is likely they recalled the words of the prophet Habakkuk, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come…” (2:3). Therefore, as we read Luke’s account of the Lord’s birth this year (Luke 2), may our appreciation for what we have in Christ increase and be renewed all the more as we await the second Advent. I fear we can grow callous and apathetic to the news of peace and good will God made possible with the sending of His Son. Consider anew what God’s people longed for over centuries of waiting. And may we respond with hearts of worship and gratitude for our Savior who is Christ the Lord! – Pastor Nate Wagner

Sunday at Liberty

No Bible Training Hour

10AM: Pastor Rory–Luke 2:1-14–A Savior is Born (sermon notes)

No Evening Worship