When the Christmas bells began ringing this holiday season, I had a humbug sigh of, “Oh, great. Now I have to process Christmas cheer in addition to my sin nature.” But the heart of Christmas is in that exact conundrum!
We don’t have to feel like glitter and bells are getting in the way of getting a grip on failures we keep repeating. The reason such festivities occur is the answer to the grievous longing of our hearts: Jesus came because we can’t save ourselves.
“And Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'”
-Luke 5:31-32
If we were perfect and had it all together, there would be no need for a Savior. The fact that we are insufficient is an active humbling, a living testimony that we can’t do this on our own. And Jesus came to fulfill that need. He’s Emmanuel, God with us.
The more you realize how wicked you are, the more you will see the glory of the gospel. Grace doesn’t make much sense unless you take sin seriously. And that contrast between the pitch-black darkness of your soul and His glorious grace can’t do anything short of fill you with song.
This is the love of my Savior: I deserve to be cast homeless from His kingdom, yet He continues to cover my sin with ripples and ripples of grace— morning sunshine, fresh food, a warm smile, clean clothes, new opportunities. The simple little graces God gives sinners.
Best of all, Jesus paid the price of your sin. He has covered your insufficiency and done away with your failures. Run to that, embrace that. Put off the old man and sing the song of the new: Yes, I am this in Adam, BUT GOD.
“The gospel is this: we are more sinful and flawed…than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
-Tim Keller
Like rebellious children and glory thieves, we continually offend God. Yet that does not deter His gifts. He continues to give another opportunity, another chance. He’s an “I don’t care how far you’ve run, just come home” kind of God.
To so beautifully love those who are so unfaithful— that is the greatest call of all. We can imitate that. Every time someone annoys us, every time someone does that thing again, we can live the testimony of His love so the world can come to know Him through us.
“The month of December is full of reminders of grace. It is the month with the longest night, the most darkness. But in the darkness, little embers of light pierce through—literally in our fireplaces, and figuratively on our trees and household eaves and Christmas candles. The darkest month is full of reminders of light and hope—and those reminders feel like grace. The lights reflect back to the birth of Jesus and the grace and peace he brought. And the lights promise a coming light, the ending of winter, the certainty of light and warmth coming soon. Grace has flooded our lives.”
-Michael & Beth Franke
We don’t deserve it, and we couldn’t earn it, yet God gives Himself anyway. To do what we can’t, to bridge the gap between God and man, to redeem fallen creatures. This is grace, and it is for you.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
-Ephesians 2:8-9
So don’t feel weighed down that you can’t keep the law perfectly. You can’t. That’s why Jesus came, and He’s inviting you to accept the free gift of grace. Embrace the new identity He’s bought for you. It’s enough to fill this life and the next with praise.
A wonderful reminder.