The Christmas Card You Never Got (Matthew 2:11-18) - a podcast by Don Shoemaker, Steve Williams, and Bob Wriedt
from 2021-12-12T16:00
We've been making our way through Matthew's gospel (chapters 1 and 2) as part of our Advent series, "God at work." And as we've been reading these familiar passages each week, I can't help but think of children's plays, with their casting of Sheep #1 and Sheep #2 or A Charlie Brown Christmas where Linus reminds everyone of the true meaning of Christmas when he reads from Luke chapter 2.
The cast of characters is memorable: Jesus, of course. Mary and Joseph. Shepherds and Wise Men. Every year, whether religious or not, people seem to genuinely look forward to hearing the Christmas news, "For unto you is born in this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
I wonder how often we wonder what this Savior is saving us from. Why a Savior is needed at all.
If we just needed better instruction, we'd be welcoming a heavenly Teacher this Christmas.
If we just needed a moral example, we'd be welcoming a heavenly Boy Scout.
But if we need rescue. If we need deliverance from circumstances that we can't change. If we need someone to save us from our sins (someone to do something about all sin) then no one but a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, will do.
Join us this Sunday as we continue our Advent series with a message titled, "The Christmas card you never got" from Matthew 2:13-18.
Hope to see you soon!
- Pastor Tim
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
-Matthew 2:11-18
Further episodes of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach
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