The gospels are the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Essentially, they tell the same story of who Jesus is and what he came to do. The gospels of Matthew and Luke give us the most complete picture of the Christmas story. But there is one verse in the gospel of John that summarizes it all:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14 NIV

The Word is Jesus. He became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Jesus’ birth was the equivalent of God putting skin on and moving into the neighborhood. Leaving heaven to come to earth for our benefit. You see, we were lost. We were separated from God because of the sin in our life. And so Jesus came, he lived among us, and ultimately he died for us.

At Christmas time we celebrate Christ’s birth because it set into the motion the greatest rescue to ever take place. Through a wooden manger and eventually a wooden cross, Jesus rescued us from the consequences of sin. In him, we are victorious. As we move in to this next year, let us remember that victory we have in him through the blood he shed for our sins. 

When you are ready, use the communion packet you picked up at church last Sunday. If you did not get one, you can use your own juice and bread or whatever you have on hand to take a moment to confess your wrongdoing and thank God for winning your victory.

…and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. – 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NIV