Unto you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord!

It is the eternal power and divine eloquence of this simple yet tremendously important message which has perpetuated Christmas and which still electrifies the hearts of Christmas whenever the glad tidings are repeated. Unto you is born a Savior!

Unto you, you who were born in sin, you whose life is a record of transgression and iniquity and are therefore under the wrath of an offended God; unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, a Redeemer, an Emancipator, which is Christ the Lord, the promised Messiah, the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, the Mighty God!

Surely, no matter what our circumstances may be on this most holy day, we have every reason to lift our hearts in fervent prayer and say:

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray
 Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell
 O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel

Herman W. Gockel, "Daily Walk with God," December 24 devotional

Friends, join us tonight for worship at Life in Christ.  The Family Service, featuring our Sunday School children, takes place at 5 pm.  The Candlelight Service, featuring music from our Choir, Bells, and other singers will be held at 7 pm and 9 pm.  Come and celebrate the birth of Jesus with us.

Finally, it's time for my annual Christmas Blog Vacation.  I'll be back next year, January 6th to be exact.  Have a blessed Christmas season!

The Way in a Manger

(Can be sung to the tune, "Away in a Manger"

The Way in a manger, Christ Jesus His name
 Forgiveness He brought us, for sinners He came
 For He is the Way and the Truth and the Life
 And joy He will bring us amidst worldly strife

The Way in a manger, we give Him our praise
 For life so abundant, our voices we raise
 And heaven will be ours, by faith in the Way
 With joy let us live, for eternal our days

The Way in a manger, our lives let us give
 For born was this Child to die so we'll live
 Now lead us, dear Jesus, each step of the way
 Through life and through death near Your heart 
 we will stay

By Tim Wesemann, for "Seasons Under the Son" page 37

The greatest sentence in the English language

Suppose you were to nominate "the greatest sentence in the English language." What words would you pick? A passage from Shakespeare? A line from your favorite poem? Or would you suggest a sentence like one of these:

You won!

Welcome home!

I love you!

If you thought more about it, you might choose the angel's words in Matthew 1:21:

...give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.

He will save - rescue, deliver. The word includes so much. Primarily it speaks of release, freedom in Jesus, we receive freedom from the guilt of sin and freedom from slavery to sin. We need no long live in shame over who we are or over what we've said or done. We can lay that burden down, trusting that Jesus carried it to His cross where it was destroyed forever.

We need no longer slave for sin either. By the power of the new life at work in us through our Baptism, we can show the love we now want to show our Lord and the people around us.

Where does sin have you loaded down with guilt or trapped in slavery today? Talk to Jesus about it as you meditate on Matthew 1:21.

Jane Fryer, "Today's Light Bible," page 1327

A Morning Prayer

We wanted to give You this morning, Lord

 We wanted to give You this day

Thanks for the Son

 And His light in our hearts

There are so many things we need to say


As we look to a new day to spend with You

 It's exciting to think what it means

That You would choose us

 And use us

And call us Your own

 That You love us and give us a new song to sing


In order to give You the whole of the day

 We must give You this first special part

The sun as it rises reminds us of You

 A day without You is

Like a day in the dark


We wanted to give You this morning, Lord

 We wanted to give You this day

Michael Card, from "Come to the Cradle," page 24

When is it appropriate to be a skeptic?

That's the question I'll deal with during Sunday worship at Life in Christ.  I hope you'll come and join us at either 8 or 11 am.  Or, if worshiping on Saturday suits your fancy, we have a 5 pm service today. Either way, join us as we light all four candles on our Advent wreath, signifying that we are getting ever close to celebrating the nativity of the Christ child.  Have a blessed weekend!

It is Christ who matters

Ponder your achievements less; ponder Christ's more.  Spend less time on your throne and more at His cross.  Brag on His work, not yours. You are valuable, but you aren't invaluable. It is Christ who matters, not us.

Max Lucado, "Because of Bethlehem," page 89

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

...let's embrace the time and place in which our God has put us.  Christians in this country have never been as valuable as we are right now, because in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, we are lift with the only answer that matters: Jesus.  He is our hope.

Rev. Zachary Zehender, from "It's not Starbucks Job to Tell People 'Merry Christman'."  The Lutheran Witness, page 17