Christmas Day is Just the Beginning

[HKHaugan]

Christmas Day is Just the Beginning

 Christmas is not a season that begins with commercials 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 Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve with worship. The older European experience of the Christmas celebration starts on Christmas Eve with worship and gift giving, then 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 Scriptures surrounding Jesus’ birth 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 the Gospel of 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 recovering every heart from sin’s aloneness to a personal relationship with God. 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, Holy Scripture. 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 through His Word.

 Now back to Luke. The recovery plan needed a visual preparation for this spiritual plan, a foreshadowing of what was to come, which Luke gives us in detail. 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.

 How did John prepare the way for Jesus?  It’s right there in vs.77-79.

First, to give people the knowledge of salvation, the One to come.

Second, the forgiveness of sins from a merciful God. God.

Third, John baptized with water as a visible sign that the mercy of God cleanses us from the real but invisible disease of sin through 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, the shadow of death that caused our separation from God, vs.78-79.   This passage also indicates the kind of life we are to live, a life of peace (vs.79), a life preparing those in the dark world around each of us to receive the living Jesus and receiving eternal life. Peace in Scripture is not just an inner self-satisfaction and calmness to be kept within. Peace is a spiritual fruit meant to be shared, given away, since it is the relational work of the Holy Spirit to bring the Prince of Peace into every person’s heart. He is our peace (Eph.2:14).

 In one sense therefore, Christmas day is also celebrating the beginning of our spiritual rebirth and the rest of the year is learning how to live with and share the Lord Jesus, the source of life.