Thursday, December 27, 2012
Third Christmas Day
Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is even interceding for us.
INTERCEDING!
Jesus once told us that if we were bringing a gift to God's altar, and we remembered that a brother had something against us, it should be our priority to go and set things right with that brother. Many a Christmas story has been written over the years about just such reconciling at Christmas, "that special time of the year." Actually Jesus indicated that the "special time" was right when you remembered it! But Christmas is a time of memories, and of family gatherings, so it can well serve that purpose.
If anyone could have something against us, though, Christ could have more. It was our selfishness, our head-strong rebellion against God, our daily sinning that made all His sufferings and humiliating death necessary. From the night of His birth to the day of His death we caused Him to be "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering ... he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, ... and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:3, 5-6).
But instead of holding it against us that our sins caused His pain, He willingly gave Himself to pay the penalty for our sin, and even continues to intercede for us before His Father's throne!
Should He who Himself imparted
Aught withhold From the fold,
Leave us broken-hearted?
Should the Son of God not love us,
Who, to cheer Sufferers here,
Left His throne above us?
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 77:4) 