As we hear God’s Word over and over, it continually reminds us of two things:

1.) We are forgiven, and nothing and nobody can take that away from us.

2.) The most important thing we can ever do in life is to share that forgiveness with others.

What we see happening through John the Baptist is an inevitable trend that happens in the hearts of all believers. When Jesus’ light shines TO you…the logical next step is that it shines THROUGH you. When you understand the beautiful good news of the gospel for yourself, you naturally want to share it with others.

It is during the hardest, darkest times that God reaches the most new people with the gospel… and it is during the hardest, darkest times that God helps those who already believe to appreciate his gospel the most.

What happened on Christmas frames the way we view our world all year long. On Christmas, God’s Son chose to become our brother. And he lived, he died, he rose, so that we get to be part of God’s eternal family

The sending of Jesus establishes God’s track record. No matter how many promises God has made, all of them are ‘yes’ in Christ. And that’s the comfort we can take with us as we move from 2020 into 2021….

The message of Christmas gives us strength to endure all the trials of life. We know that God loved us enough to enter our world in human flesh, so that he might rescue us and bring us to a better world someday!

On the real Christmas, Jesus brought you real peace. Peace between you and God. Peace that lasts even after every Christmas decoration is packed away. Peace that lasts… forever.

How should Christians deal with the injustice we still see in this sin-broken world? Should we make it our #1 goal to eradicate every injustice from the face of the earth? Or, should we simply accept that this world is broken beyond repair, injustice happens, and there’s nothing we can do about it? God’s answer is “Neither…”

As you go home from church, thinking about what Jesus actually went through for you, you are a bit shaken but also you are also at peace. Because your sin and guilt have not been ignored, or covered up, or left for you to solve on your own. They have been brought out in the open, and dealt with by God. You have been forgiven.

Christmas 2020 is going to be weird, and different, and people are not going to like it. But none of that can change the fact that on the first Christmas, God sent his one and only Son into this world to win eternal life for you. Because of that baby in the manger, no matter how good or bad our life in this world may be…. We know that the best is yet to come.