“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays…” I would have to agree with this line from a classic Christmas song. In fact, I think our God would agree too. His goal is to see all of his children home for the holidays.
Of course life isn’t always so simple. In the sermon I reference a young woman called “Rose”. She talked about her addiction to meth and how it solves a few of life’s problems. “Having nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat — that’s where meth comes into play,” said the girl, 17. “Those things aren’t a problem if you’re using.” You can read the full article HERE. The problem with Rose is that meth will kill her and ruin every relationship in her life. Reaching people like Rose isn’t easy.
The spiritual problems that we face in life are just as dire as what Rose is up against. The reality may not be as immediate, but the end is the same. Without a savior from sin our lives are hopeless. The Holy Ruler of the Universe has every right to demand that I match his perfection. His holiness, his justice isn’t crazy, but his compassion is. This is where Christmas comes in.
God knew that the only way for him to rescue his people was to send his Son, Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to be our perfect example to follow. Jesus didn’t come to beat us over the head for failing time and again. Jesus came to take our punishment, our shame, and our sin. Because of Christmas all that’s left for us is a place by our Father’s side who is waiting eagerly until we come home. “Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays…”
Want to hear more? Watch this Sunday’s message taken from the prophet Hosea.
Book(s): Hosea
Tag(s): Christmas
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg