Draw Near to God – He Comes to You

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The Gift of God

Draw Near to God – He Comes to You is the theme for our Christmas Eve message.  What brings you here at Christmas?  It’s probably about you right?  We have a hard time taking the focus off ourselves to worship God.  Let’s see how the first visitors to the King focused on Jesus at the first Christmas.

Be on your way…

After the shepherds caught their breath and digested what the angelic choir had told them, they said “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

The shepherds weren’t the only ones.  The Wise Men came a little late, up to two years, if you read the account closely, but listen to why they came.  Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

These shepherds and wise men drew near to God, because he came to them.  They worshipped God.

Peace on Earth

This doesn’t really address the why for God.  Why did Jesus have to come?  Why did that baby need to be born?  Why was there celebration in heaven and on earth?  The angels answer this for us.  They sang, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  Or can you remember the King James Version?  That was the NIV.  14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  Jesus came so that there could be peace.  So many consider these words ones of hope for our dying world.  They are to be sure, but not like many think.  The peace that the angels sang about isn’t one of world peace that the bumper stickers urge us to envision.  It isn’t for the peace on the streets of New York or back again in Missouri last night.  This is peace between God and man.  This is for the peace in your soul.  It’s a very personal one.  Draw near to God; He comes to you.

Want to hear more?  Watch our Christmas Eve message taken from Luke 2 – Draw Near to God – He Comes to You.

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