Matthew 1:1-17,21

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 "And you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

Salvation. The primary purpose and promise of Christmas. Its easy to detach the 2, especially in our American culture. We see Christmas as a time to indulge and celebrate, to give and receive, for frantic shopping trips and family gatherings. Often this merry season can actually bring out the reasons we need salvation more than the joy of the truth of the gospel. We can fall into the trappings of over doing...well just about everything. Spending, eating, drinking, worrying...etc. You name it, we probably walk through it this time of year.

Which is ironic. Because, we can so easily lose sight of what our joy at Christmas is birthed out of. We can  lose sight of the source of the light that shot across the darkness many years ago. We can lose the essence of the wonder and power of God, becoming flesh and swelling among us. And He came, that we might love. He came to save His people from their sins.

James Montgomery Boice, notes in his book, The King Has Come:

     When the Bible talks about salvation, primarily it is talking about salvation from sin - from its penalty and from its power. And that is what Jesus came to achieve for us. If we could save ourselves, which many of the liberal understandings of salvation suggest, there would have been no need for Jesus to have been born. There would have been no need for his life, his death on the cross or his resurrection. But we cannot save ourselves, not from sin at all and not very much even from the social problems sin has created

     Jesus had to come. His birth was necessary. For that reason, the promise of the angel, embodied in the name Jesus, is the greatest message of the entire Christmas story and, in fact, of all time.

    'You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins.' Jesus fulfilled that promise when he died of the cross for our sin and rose again for our justification.

The greatest message at Christmas is more than Christ was born. He was born to bring salvation. The gospel is the greatest proclamation of the season! It is our joy to now get to share this good news with others! And, we can do that in how we spend our time, and money and words on and with others during this next 4 weeks. 1 Peter 2:25 reads, "but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you." We have the opportunity to share an everlasting truth, Jesus, was born in a manger, and He will save people from their sins.

No wonder the angels burst out in jubilation "Glory to God in the highest!" 

Songs of celebration for today:

Who Would Have Dreamed

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

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