Glad Tidings
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 ESV
What do you need to be “saved” from right now? Are you dealing with debt or other financial difficulties? Are there personal issues with people in your family or among your friends that you wish would just go away? Maybe work or school is especially tough right now, and you wish you had someone to save you from all the stress and deadlines. Perhaps you're dealing with emotional or mental health issues that make everyday life feel terrible.
On the first Christmas, the shepherds outside of Bethlehem probably had a lot of things they wanted to be saved from. They probably wished someone would save them from the Roman military that was occupying their country. They might have wanted someone to save them from the boring, exhausting, and occasionally dangerous daily grind of having to look after large groups of sheep. Those shepherds might have also had problems with money, family, friends, or their mental health.
When the angel of God appeared to the shepherds that night, he told them about a Savior that had been born for them. This Savior wasn’t going to “save” them from the problems they had with other people, with money, or inside themselves. Jesus, the Savior of the world, had been born to solve the human race’s problem with sin, the most important and serious problem of all.
During His life on earth, every action, word, and even thought of Jesus would be perfect. There wouldn’t be a single sin to be found anywhere in His entire life. At the end of His perfect life, Jesus would sacrifice Himself and die a sinless death so He could give that record of perfection to us as a free gift, saving us from our sins.
God has given us a Savior from sin in His Son, Jesus Christ, just as He promised He would. God hasn’t promised to save us from all the other problems in our lives. However, we do know that He has promised to always be with us and guide us, no matter what difficulties we might face.
Save us, O Lord, from every evil, and deliver us from the great debt of our sins. Thank you for your saving grace. Amen.