LUKE 2:14 ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”
Springford Baptist Church TODAY
December 25, 2022.
A young woman waits outside of an operating room for news of the outcome of her husband’s surgery. She is anxious and praying that he will come through okay.
In those moments, she is not thinking about either yesterday or tomorrow, her mind and her heart are focused on today. She watches a clock on the wall as the time goes by and clasps her hands together with deep concern. Finally, a doctor emerges and announces that the surgery has been successful and that her husband is in recovery.
“Today” in the familiar telling of the Christmas story-the events of the birth of Jesus our Saviour, signals the news that we have been longing to hear. There is no more anxious waiting. The good news of the birth of the promised Messiah has taken place.
“Today” in this case is no ordinary day. It is the day that changes forever the course of history and the story of all humankind! Christ the Promised One who can save us from sin has been born!
Recognize with me that this gives us great reason to celebrate the everlasting love of God at Christmas and every day.
It is only every few years that Christmas actually falls on Sunday. The next time that Christmas will be on Sunday is in 2033. As we gather together today or view this service online, we are declaring the truth of our faith and the far reaching implications of the “today” announcement.
It is a common and accurate expression, “You never know what a day will bring.” We certainly do not know what a day will bring, but God does. God was well aware of the significance of the “today” that brought His Son Jesus into our world. God had heard the prayers offered over centuries leading up to this “today”. He knew that the people of our world needed a Saviour. He knows that we today still need a Saviour.
I wonder if we grasp what it means to live each new today confident that Jesus our Saviour is with us, loving us, guiding us, and keeping us.
What happened on this “today” affects our lives forever!
In the lighting of our Advent candles over these past weeks, there has been a common phrase that the HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE that Jesus our Saviour brings are, “not just for Christmas, but for every day.” Jesus is for every new today!
This is the tremendously good news that Christmas calls us to celebrate. Through Jesus, God’s Son, we are given grace and strength for living each new today.
Many of us have tried to live the divine rhythm of “one day at a time.” This becomes essential for us when we are facing illness, heartache and grief.
Even just trying to get through one day can feel overwhelming and next to impossible.
Anxious nights can seem so long when we wait for a new day to dawn and do not know what it will bring.
Our faith in God through His Son Jesus confirms for us that whatever happens, He is with us in every today.
Christmas is a time filled with memories. I have been enjoying hearing of some of the memories of Christmas that the residents of the Meadows nursing home carry with them. They still remember their childhood experiences of Christmas and their celebrations of Christmas through the years. One of the residents was recently recounting a Sunday School Christmas concert his wife had organized. Their young daughter was reading the Bible narrative detailing the events of the Christmas story. Apparently, there were 3 young boys playing the parts of the wise men. One of these “wise men” snatched the baby Jesus from the manger and ran off. This man’s daughter called time out while Jesus was retrieved.
This highlights for me that any attempt to remove Jesus from His central place in the Christmas story and in our lives cannot succeed. When the current world events or personal events of our lives threaten to steal away Who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish, we too can call a “time out.”
We can with great determination choose to focus on the “today” reality of Jesus coming to be our Saviour. We can acknowledge our constant need for Him and invite Him to be Who He came to be for us.
When we ensure that Jesus is back where He needs to be in our lives, we will have our perspective riveted on seeking God’s will on earth as it is in heaven for today.
God has been with us in our whole succession of todays in this year that has passed.
God will be with us in our whole succession of todays for the year ahead.
What happened when the angel announced, “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:14) demands our response.
This is not news to set aside or to think about considering some other time.
This is news that compels us every today to turn to God and to thank Him that He knew just what we needed when He sent Jesus to be our Saviour.
This is the astounding good news that we celebrate today on Christmas and choose to live every today. We are trusting God for what he has done on that miraculous today. We can discover fresh awareness of what it means to know our God by knowing His Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord today!