12/29/2024: First Sunday after Christmas

THE GIFT OF GOD

When a father puts gifts under the Christmas tree, it is not to compensate his children for doing their chores. That would make whatever is inside that wrapping paper a wage, not a gift. A gift is given voluntarily simply so the giver can show favor to the one receiving the gift, without any expectation of repayment. In the season of Christmas, we receive the gift of God. That does not simply mean we receive the gifts God gives. When we look into the manger, we see that God is the gift.

In the person of Jesus, God gave us himself. And because our God became true man and did everything necessary for our salvation, he is able to give us so many other Christmas gifts: forgiveness, hope, peace, a place in his family, eternal life in paradise. “That is too much!” you object. “I don’t deserve any of it!” True enough. However, none of these things are wages. We could not and need not earn them. Because they are gifts, given by our gracious God to show us his favor.

GOD GIVES BOTH SUBSTITUTE AND SACRIFICE

The Son of God took on flesh for two reasons: to be our substitute and our sacrifice. You see, when God created mankind in his image, his desire was that we would live holy lives, full of love for him and our fellow man. When mankind fell into sin, that became impossible. So, the heavenly Father sent Jesus. He is the only human being to keep all of God’s law perfectly. He did that as our substitute. Through faith, we claim his perfection as our own. But we needed another gift—one who could pay for the sin we had committed. And so, the Son of God became human for another reason—so that he might die as the sacrifice for our sins, removing that barrier between us and a holy God.

Understanding we needed both—substitute and sacrifice—helps us better understand Jesus’ saving work. That work includes more than Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus saving work began the moment he was born under the law and obeyed it. This week, we thank God that Jesus served us in both these much-needed ways!

God bless your worship.

Pastor Adam Mueller preaches on Isaiah 50:4–9

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