First Sunday after Christmas Day
December 28, 2008

Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

The blessed event has come — Jesus has been born of a virgin — the event for which we have been preparing our hearts has arrived.  Now what?  On Christmas Eve, I answered this question “Why did Jesus come?” with a scripture.  This passage in Galatians reminds us again why Jesus came.  On Thursday we began the Twelve Days of Christmas.  There are twelve days between the Western celebration of Christmas on December 25 and the Eastern Celebration of Christmas on January 6th.  On these twelve days, we focus on why Jesus came as a baby.  I was discussing this with one of my new friends.  She talked about the glory and the humility.  Jesus is worthy of all the glory and yet he came to earth humbly as a baby — not a royal baby — not in a royal city — but born in a lowly city — Bethlehem — born of ordinary parents – except that Joseph was part of the royal line of David.  He was born in a manger and wrapped in cloths.  Paul tells us he was born of a woman to free us from the bondage of sin.  Those of us who are in Christ are free from the bondage of sin and we are adopted into the family of Christ.   We can call God, “Father!”  The Greek equivalent is “daddy.”  Because of Christ’s arrival on this earth, we have the ability to enter the family of God.  This is reason to rejoice.  Blessings.