The Christmas Covenant Paid

This sermon series has reminded us that the birth of Jesus Christ was more than a gift or a promise fulfilled. It was also a covenant fulfilled. However, this covenant was challenged and nearly broken by our own sin. It is only out of God's grace that he sent Jesus Christ to intervene and to fulfill the covenant on our behalf despite our perpetual failure.

This last sermon will focus on the sacrifice that Jesus had to pay in order to fulfill the covenant on our behalf. Seeing Christmas as merely a gift or a promise fulfilled does not do justice to the cost that Jesus had to pay. There are three things about Jesus's birth that we will focus on.

First, one of the gifts given to Jesus was myrrh, which was primarily used for embalming and burial purposes. Unlike the other two gifts (gold and frankincense), myrrh was a strange gift to give to an infant as it is often associated with death. However, we later learn that this is a very fitting gift because Jesus was born in order to die for our sins. 

Second, Luke mentions three times that Jesus was born in a manger (Luke 2.7, 12, 16). The reason why Luke goes out of his way to include this detail was to emphasize the humility of Jesus's arrival. Rather than being born into a throne and luxury, he was born into a squalid manger where animals fed. This would have been quite offensive to the people of Israel as they were following laws of purity. 

Third, Jesus was born into a very contentious situation where Herod the king was attempting to kill all male infants. As a result, Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt, and travel back to Nazareth after Herod died. This shows that Jesus came into our unpredictable and unstable reality, which is even more relevant as we are all wading through our own sets of anxieties--whether they be the uncertainties of the recent COVID-19 developments and other difficulties in life.

All of this highlights the fact that our God is with us. He is not a distant god who cannot relate with our struggles. Instead, Christmas has not only arrived despite or beyond our shortcomings, it arrived in our shortcomings. In response, let us take comfort and joy that Jesus Christ empathizes with our sufferings, impurities, and uncertainties. As we do, let us also seek to be a blessing to those around us who need to learn or be reminded of the presence of Christ!

Questions:

1. As we wrap up this sermon series, how has looking at Christmas as part of a covenant changed the way you view God and helped you appreciate Jesus Christ more?

2. God is not only with us, but he is in the midst of our suffering, messiness, and uncertainty. How have you been experiencing this reality?

3. Who are some of the people that need to learn or be reminded of this presence of God? What are some ways that we can help them see Jesus Christ?

4. Close your time by praying for the three families for whom Uptown created Christmas hampers. Pray also that this small gesture could lead to opportunities to establish a relationship and to share the gospel with them. Lastly, pray that God will continue to use Uptown to be a witness to those who need Christ.