More to the Story
Christmas in the Old Testament
JESUS’ BIRTH IN MATTHEW - CHAPTER ONE
Matthew records God’s “upper story” of setting the world to rights by providing a family tree of “lower story” people. Matthew “truncates the tree” organizing it neatly into three groups, as if to say “God brings orders out the chaos of ordinary life." Take note of the names and the stories behind them. You, too, have a name that God knows, the best of the story behind it is “Immanuel”, God having been at work in your life.
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father . . . . Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was . . . . the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. . . . . .
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus."
As we begin our celebrations as followers of Christ, I am encouraged, reminded and held grateful for what "God with us" entails.
ReplyDeleteThe birth of Christ begins the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. From external to internal. From a distance to a closeness.
As we have been reading in the Old Testament, we see how God's people, not unbelievers, but God's people could and would stray from Him consistently. "A dog returns to his vomit" (2Peter 2:22)
Israel & Judah's leaders were entrenched in the pagan world and their own desires and their leadership reflected this. Time and time again they went back to false gods. They were incapable of having 'staying power'. Without "God with us", we are incapable of having any 'staying power'. With the birth of Christ this was about to change!
The birth of Christ was the dawning of a new era. Christ as God's mercy and love for us incarnate does for us what we cannot do ourselves.
The New Covenant was coming!
Not familiar with the New Covenant? Every Christian's future is reliant on the New Covenant. Our communion is the symbol for the New Covenant.
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood"
The New Covenant is our "staying power"
It is God With Us. It is the giving of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' Spirit left in everyone who believes!
It makes us one with Him.
The Old Covenant of Law written on stone is turned to laws written on hearts (Hebrew 10:16)
God with us was how Jesus taught his disciples to pray in the Lord's Prayer:
They Kingdom come, thy will be done
*The Kingdom of God does not come visibnly, nor will people say, "Here it is" or "There it is, because the kingdom of God is within you"
Luke 17:20
Give us this day our daily bread
*the bread of the Presence was physical bread in the Temple, Christ became the LIVING Bread, (this is my body broken for you), Living through the Holy Spirit in each of us
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
*forgiveness before Christ was conditional, Priests had to offer sacrifices on behalf of others. With Christ he forgave us despite whether we accept it or not-New Covenant
Lead us not into Temptaion, but deliver us from evil
*"But, when he, the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you."
The celebration of the birth of Jesus, the freedom and salvation of the cross in the New Covenant, the imparting of the Holy Spirit binding us into oneness with Him-this is what we celebrate at Christmas.
Study it, pray for it, thank God for it, minister to Him in praise, prayer and thanksgiving for indeed, God is With Us!!
Praise you, Jesus, thank you Father. Let us never, never forget what you have given us. What you have done for us. Let us not take lightly our inheritance and our hope. Amen.
Merry Christmas All!