Christmas 2 Christmas is Just the Beginning

[HKHaugan]

Christmas 2 Christmas is Just the Beginning

Christmas is not a season that begins with advertising at the end of summer and builds toward Dec.25 only to end on Christmas Day. Christmas morning with presents and the afternoon with its heavy meal are not climactic events. The benefit of Christmas celebration in some other countries is that it starts on Christmas Eve and continues for two weeks until Epiphany, which symbolizes the spread of what began on Christmas. It is in this period of time that we are to delve into the Christmas Scriptures and mine them for spiritual insight to prepare us for what Scripture says about everything after spiritual birth. So let’s take a look at Luke.

But first, consider the overall theme: Christmas introduces God’s recovery plan for the world, the restoration of every heart. This recovery plan is a spiritual plan. It provides a stimulus package consisting of three intertwining parts. First, it is a spiritual birth to eternal life through a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. Second, it comes with a personal spiritual manual for each mind called the Bible. Third, we receive the power of God the Holy Spirit for our spirits. He brings Jesus into our hearts enabling us to grow in faith, love, truth and grace.

But the recovery plan needed a visual preparation for this spiritual plan, a foreshadowing of what was to come. Enter John the Baptist.
Lk.1:76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."
80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Note the specifics of the preparation in Luke 1:76-78, first, the knowledge of salvation, second, the forgiveness of sins, third, the mercy of God. John prophetically baptized as a visible sign that the mercy of God brought the knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Further the reference to the rising sun from heaven is the physical symbol of God the Son who will rise from the darkness of sin-caused separation from God and its destiny, the shadow of death, vs.78-79.

This passage also indicates the kind of life we are to live, a life preparing those in the dark world around each of us to receive the living Jesus to enter their hearts with His light. There’s a lot more. Stay tuned……..