Jesus, The King of Christmas

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Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV)

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Devotion:

            We have made it through another Christmas season. But what was it all about really? The gifts, the food, the parties with relatives, what did it all mean? The writer of Hebrews begins his book by giving us a clue who this Jesus is whose birth we just celebrated. The author breaks down exactly what this baby born to poor parents in a barn means for the world. Jesus’s birth by all standards was not an auspicious occasion. Who would this baby become? Because his beginnings were anything but noteworthy.

            True there were angels, shepherds, and wise men who came to see this baby. There were prophesies by Simeon and Anna in the temple at his circumcision. What was all the fuss about? The author of Hebrews let’s us in on the divine mystery surrounding this seemingly ordinary child born to poor parents in a stable.

            This child was in fact God in human form. This child was truly God’s Son. As the Apostle John writes in his gospel, “for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son.” What an amazing thought. The writer of Hebrews captures this marvelous idea even further in verses two and three above. Jesus was the “exact representation of [God’s] being. When we look upon the portrait of Jesus painted for us in the New Testament we are looking into the face of God. We are observing what God did and said when he walked the earth.

            Hebrews tells us that this Jesus who was living among us even chose his own death as a means of purifying all humans of their sins. But his death was not the end of the line for Jesus, he rose again and sits in the throne room of God. His glory restored. Majestic yet the scars of the wounds suffered at the hands of you and me are still visible.

            So, as we put away our Christmas decorations this year let us recall the baby who would become king of the universe. Let us worship him again and seek to always remember what that tiny baby did to save us from our sin. Let us give glory to God,

Prayer:

            Heavenly Father, we praise you for the gift of your son Jesus. You chose a humble birth for your son, help us to keep Jesus in our heart as we put away the manger scene, the precious ornaments handed down through the generations and other mementos of the season. May we keep alive the memory of what this celebration is all about. Let Jesus always be the King of Christmas in our hearts. Amen.

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