Christmas Day Service
Luke 2:6-7; 2 Corinthians 8:9

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn…

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you though his poverty might become rich.”

In the name of Jesus dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I once remember reading a comment by the famed Christian author C.S. Lewis.  When commenting on what it must have been like for Jesus to leave heavenly glory in order to live in this sinful world for a time he said, “Think about how you would like to become a slug.”  Wow!  I think we get the picture!  I don’t think there’s a person, no matter how bad you think your life is going, would like to trade it for the life of a slug!  J Now think about doing it willingly, doing it because you want to, doing it not to help yourself out in anyway, but totally to help someone else out, and not just to help out anyone like friend who’s really helped you out in the past, no, but doing it for someone who is your enemy, who neglects you, ignores you, mistreats you, doesn’t give you the time of day.  Can you picture that?  We wouldn’t dream of doing something like that, would we?  In fact, we would call doing something like that…foolish and silly.  But that’s what God did!  That’s what Jesus did in selflessly coming to this earth in order to save you and me!

You know, we hear about “rags to riches stories,” like someone having it really difficult and then making it good, like a Cinderella story or something, but from “riches to rags” stories?  If we do, it’s usually a sad story.  But this is different.  The Lord Jesus chose to set aside his full glory for a time to live among us.  He chose to come not merely to set a good example for us, not merely to show us what it means to live a proper life, but He came in order to rescue us from our sins, to live perfectly for us because we didn’t and couldn’t, to save us so we might live in heaven.

Though He was rich in every way, everything is His by divine right, He rightly receives all glory and praise from all angels, yet for our sakes He became poor, why?  So that we, through His poverty, might become rich.  You are rich!  It doesn’t matter what your income is, what your net worth is, how much savings you have, what toys you have, those things don’t make you rich.  You are rich in having Jesus as your Savior.  True wealth, true riches, are spiritual riches!  This is what Christmas is all about- Jesus was born in Bethlehem so that you might be rich, really rich: rich having God’s love, rich having peace with God, rich having your sins forgiven in full, rich having a purpose in life, rich filled with true joy, rich with a true and certain hope, rich knowing you have life eternal, rich knowing that when the time comes your death is simply entrance into God’s paradise.  Those are true riches and… they’re yours!  How do you know that for sure?  Because of Christmas, because Jesus came to be poor for you that you might be rich!  Amen.