TOGETHER:
Christmas: Jesus goes to the 'pig pen' for humanity
___In an Advent sermon, one theologian described Christmas as "the journey of God into a far country." It is an arresting idea.
___Christmas is the greatest expression of missions that can be imagined. The Father sent Jesus from heaven to earth to tell good news and make it possible for everyone who
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CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
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believes to go from earth to heaven. Jesus was the first missionary!
___What a great time of the year to think about missions giving through our churches. As a pastor, I challenged our church members to give sacrificially to missions each year at this time by saying: "Next year there will be boys and girls, men and women, who will know what Christmas really is all about because you gave this year. Your offerings will help a gospel witness to be carried to the hearts of people who have never heard the good news of Christmas. They live in our town, in our county, in our state, in our nation and in our world."
___I always felt good inviting our people to make sure that the best gift they gave each Christmas was to the One whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas.
___But what about that idea that Jesus' birth was the journey of God into a far country? That phrase comes from the King James Version of Luke 15:13, in Jesus' parable about the prodigal son. The younger son asked for his share of the inheritance that he might leave home. He journeyed to a far country, and there he wasted all he had in wild living. Since his friends had run out when his money ran out, he was reduced to feeding pigs for a local farmer. There, he finally came to himself and repentantly returned home to be welcomed by a loving and forgiving father.
___How could Jesus be compared to that younger son?
___Jesus came to this far-off country, far away from the glories of his heavenly home, and took upon himself our humanity. He was born without sin and lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to the Father. But he took upon himself the sin of the whole world. He went to the "pig pen" for us. The stinking filth of our sin was poured out upon him. There is no way for anyone to imagine what a shock it was to his pure, holy and righteous nature for all our iniquities to be emptied out on him. He died on the cross, under the weight of our sin, and was buried. Satan surely thought he had won!
___But in that moment of abandonment and pain, God welcomed his boy back home. He brushed away the sin that had been placed upon his shoulders and called for new robes to replace the stained and polluted garments. He reminded all of heaven that this was his Son who was lost for our sake and now was found, was dead but now was alive!
___And early on Sunday morning after his Friday death, Jesus arose from the tomb in raiment glowing with the radiance of God. He was, and forever is, the Savior of the world, the risen Christ Jesus whose story would change the world.
___No wonder angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest" at his birth.
___We are loved.
The Baptist Standard
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