A Savior Born to Dwell Among Us Bringing Life – December 27, 2022

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind . . . to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
John 1:4,12,13

A Savior Born to Dwell Among Us Bringing Life

The birth of a child is at the center of the Christmas story. In many ways, it looked like any other birth. Because of circumstances, Mary, the child’s mother, had to travel far away from home, and the baby was born in an animal shelter. But the same thing could have happened to other mothers in other towns in Israel at that time.

As ordinary as it seemed, that child born to Mary was no ordinary child. The child who took his first breath that night was the one who breathed life into the first people created and who gives life to you and me.

“In him was life,” the Bible says. That doesn’t just mean that he was alive. It means that life belongs to him. He gives life and gave you life. If you have children or grandchildren, he gave them life too.

But through Jesus, we also receive an even more profound and important kind of life. “To those who believed in his name,” the Bible says, “he gave the right to become children of God.”

Jesus, the Son of God, came to dwell among us in human flesh and blood. He came to be a part of our human family, so that we could be part of the eternal family of God. By living the perfect life that we have failed to live, Jesus earned a place for us in God’s family. That means we have a perfect, eternal home—not in a lowly animal shelter but in the mansions of heaven!

The birth of Jesus is not the only birth in the Christmas story. As the Christmas carol sings, Jesus was “born to give us second birth.” As God leads you to see and trust that baby as your Savior, you are born again as a child of God, set free from guilt, shame, and death. You have new life—eternal life—in Jesus. What a gift!

Prayer:
Jesus, you were born to give me new birth. Help me live as your child. Amen.