Matthew 2:1-2 | Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

What happens here in the beginning of the New Testament is not God starting something new- Christmas is God fulfilling what He promised.

A world broken by sin and hopeless in death, is now given the gift of forgiveness and the hope of eternal life.

From the very beginning and all throughout history, God was echoing his love for us by telling of his Son to come.

We just saw Abraham trust God when it made no sense.

And we saw how God provided for Abraham on that mountain.

But Christmas shows us something even greater.

If God did not hold back His very best at Christmas, He is not going to hold back what you need today.

So let me ask you…

Where do you need to trust God to provide?

Where do you need to place something back in His hands?

Maybe it is your family.

Maybe it is your future. Your job. Your health. Your marriage. Your child.

Whatever it is, Christmas proves you can trust Him with it.

So right where you are, would you quietly tell God what you need to trust Him with today?

Just take a moment.

Lift it up to Him.

He hears you.

He is faithful.

He will provide.

We’ve tried all kinds of things to hide and cover up our shortcomings.

Adam and Eve tried sewing fig leaves.

Some of us will sin to cover up sin: We’ll lie about our past. we’ll pretend to be someone we’re not. We’ll put on a facade.

Some of us will try to do good to cover up our wrong: we’ll show up to church, give more money to the offering, serve in a ministry… as if we could “distract” God from our sin.

But at the end of the day, God sees right through it all because our man-made efforts will always be insufficient.

UNLESS. Unless God sufficiently covers us up with the same thing.

A life for a life. A man for mankind.

So God gives us his son to be our covering.

John 3:16 | “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 10:11 | “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Christ is our covering. And when God looks at you and the clothes he’s put upon you, he says: “You’re beautiful. You’re righteous. You look like one who’s forgiven and free!”

The first Adam failed us. The last Adam frees us.

That’s why rejoice at the birth of our Savior!

Remember to always…

1. Share with the Lord.

2. Share about the Lord.

3. Serve the Lord.

4. Sing to the Lord.

People’s perspectives were put back into place, and they were reminded by that quiet, gentle voice, why they were there- that they were all neighbors who cared deeply about the community- they were just seeing things from a different side of the fence. In our family, we will face moments when we don’t agree. What if, when things get heated in our lifegroup gathering… you listen to the gentle, still small voice. When the Spirit says, “Let us pursue peace.. Remember why we’re all here.” What if you allow that still, small voice to remind you that the one sitting to the right of you is actually more important than you being right? What if at Thanksgiving dinner, when you can totally shout louder or argue better… in a small, gentle voice, you move in toward them and ask about how they’re doing, and what they are thankful for?

Family, from this holiday season to the next election season, and every season in between, may we hear the voice of the Spirit say:

“Accept one another, just as Christ also accepted you, for the glory of God.”

So we are not just saved out of hell, but we are also redeemed into a family. Jesus did not die on the cross and resurrect from the grave just to get us into heaven in the future. The forgiveness and life that Jesus offers opens the door to God’s house and God’s family now, with plenty of beds and rooms for all people to find rest.

Are you tired of living in a perpetual famine? Are you exhausted from trying to fill the undeniable emptiness in your heart? I pray you hear the welcoming voice of Jesus saying, “come home my child.” God is growing His family, and He has welcomed us in to go welcome others in. As people who have experienced God’s hesed, his covenant loyal love, we as the Church are the way God has chosen to extend his hesed to the world.

The world doesn’t change… the Winds will always be present. But blessed are those today, who are saved and are getting baptized, because of the powerful change that takes place within them, not outside of them. Their sins are redeemed. Their soul is restored. Their mind is renewed. God has filled them with His Spirit, and the pneuma will always be present. Just as sure as the wind that blows against them, is the Holy Spirit inside them. So today, we celebrate their newness of life! Their new heart and new mind. Take a look at some of the testimonies of life now in Christ, and then we’ll turn our attention to the baptism pool following.

The world doesn’t change… the Winds will always be present. But blessed are those today, who are saved and are getting baptized, because of the powerful change that takes place within them, not outside of them. Their sins are redeemed. Their soul is restored. Their mind is renewed. God has filled them with His Spirit, and the pneuma will always be present. Just as sure as the wind that blows against them, is the Holy Spirit inside them. So today, we celebrate their newness of life! Their new heart and new mind. Take a look at some of the testimonies of life now in Christ, and then we’ll turn our attention to the baptism pool following.

The world doesn’t change… the Winds will always be present. But blessed are those today, who are saved and are getting baptized, because of the powerful change that takes place within them, not outside of them. Their sins are redeemed. Their soul is restored. Their mind is renewed. God has filled them with His Spirit, and the pneuma will always be present. Just as sure as the wind that blows against them, is the Holy Spirit inside them. So today, we celebrate their newness of life! Their new heart and new mind. Take a look at some of the testimonies of life now in Christ, and then we’ll turn our attention to the baptism pool following.

From these people, the genealogy shows us, comes Jesus our Messiah. Boaz was willing to be forgotten so that Elimelech would be remembered. And by God’s sovereignty, God has preserved and has perpetuated Boaz’s name in the lineage of Jesus. As long as this word lasts, so shall Boaz’s name be identified with Christ. Will you live to be forgotten, so that Christ will be remembered?