The Purpose of Christ's Birth: The Sermon

Fresh New Snow

This last week, many of us woke up to snow on the ground. Whenever it snows, I think back to my childhood. My close friend, Ralph, and I would re-enact scenes from The Empire Strikes Back. We would pretend that we were on the ice planet Hoth, battling against the Empire. Within a couple of hours, we would have gone through the movie, but then we would continue to be the Star Wars characters the rest of the day. It was fun and exciting playing around in the newness of the snow.
By the end of the day, it was obvious where we had been. The snow was no longer smooth. Mud had mixed in with the snow, changing it from a white to a brown. Footprints were all around the yards. Imprints of our bodies were scattered about.
It was also obvious where we had not been. The snow remained untouched, smooth, and pure. There was a great difference between where we had been and where we had not been. Then at night, a new snowfall would come and in the morning, everything was smooth and it became difficult to see where we had been.
Much is the same with our lives. We begin as children, innocent and untouched by the world around us. Then as we get older, sin creeps into our lives. At first, it is just a little spot, but enough to mar the beauty of God’s creation. As we allow the sin to take hold of our lives, it begins to destroy all of our beauty. So much that we forget what it was like to be innocent and pure.
The night comes, the next snowfalls. Everything is restored and covered. Such as it is with our lives, something miraculous happens. We take the step of faith and allow Jesus to work in our lives. Then, what was once marred and torn is now beautiful and whole. All of our sins are wiped away. We no longer have any blemishes and we become free of accusations before God. “But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22 NIV).
No matter how bad we destroyed the snow, it was refreshed during the night. The same is with you. No matter how much sin is in your life, your life will be refreshed with the coming Christ into your life.
My friend and I no longer play Star Wars when it snows. (Though I have been accused of playing Star Wars all time.) We now have the privilege of watching our own children play in the snow. They make snow angels, snowmen, and have snowball fights. Let us not forget what it is like to be innocent and what it was like when Christ cleansed us and presents us without blemish. We can also be like youth in the fresh new snow.

Looking for a Sign

I have often pondered a simple question: Why is it called road construction? Doesn’t construction denote the building up of things? It seems that when I see a sign that claims road construction ahead it is more like road “destruction.” The road is not being built, but it is being destroyed.
I was on my way back home from a trip to Missouri. I was entering into a long stretch of road “destruction,” when I came across a confusing sign. The sign read, “Kansas closed exit at Ohio.” A couple of things went through my mind. “I knew the state was having some problems but to close it, that’s a new concept.”
“Has science progressed as far as Star Trek so now we have a transporter that can reach across a couple of states and that is how we are to get into Kansas?”
“What’s with all this road destruction, can’t they get it right the first time?”
“Where are the protesters?”
“Cities should not have roads named after states.”
Most of the times signs are very helpful. They will warn you about deer, railroad crossings, how far it is to the next town and even road destruction. Rarely are road signs misleading.
Today there are many misleading signs. Recently, there has been an increased interest in Nostradamus, the Mayan calendar, and the year 2012.
It is human nature to look for signs. We search for signs to see if these prophecies or prophets are correct. We look at mundane things and make claims that we are creeping towards the end of the world. When these prophecies do not come true, we just move on to the next prophecy. There have been many cults that have predicted the end of the world, only to fall very short. Many times, once a date has been established, and that date passes, an excuse is given and then a revision to the original date is given. Even Christians have fallen victim to these end time prophecies.
Instead of looking towards the end, we should look back to the beginning. About 700 years before Jesus was born, a sign was given to the people, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)
This is one sign that is often overlooked. Instead of chasing signs that are not there, we should be focused on the one that is there. Jesus was born to redeem the people for their sins and to reconcile humanity to the Father in heaven. He was born exactly as the prophet had stated many years before.
Instead of looking for a sign, look to the Son.