Christmas Eve. Communion Meditation

For more than twenty years John F. Kennedy was honored on the day of his death. Then, at the request of his family, he began to be remembered on his birthday. And, when you stop to think of it, there is precedent for this request. Holidays which honor former presidents fall on their birthday, not the day of their death. It is not really hard to understand the preference of the Kennedy family for we would all prefer to think of happier occasions than that of the death of a loved one.

Unfortunately, the media still remembers the former president because of the way He died. The media theme, “If it bleeds, it leads,” sells newspapers and gains viewers. Still the Kennedy family’s request helps to explain why the world would rather celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ than His death.

          You’ve heard of “C&E Christians?” That’s because the only two times some people go to church are Christmas and Easter. Each of these holidays draws public attention to pleasant thoughts. The birth of Christ, as the birth of any baby, is a happy occasion. The crucifixion of Christ is an unpleasant thing to remember, and so we fix our attention of the event of His resurrection. The hope of life after death is a pleasant one to ponder, whether we fully believe it or not. And yet the Lord specifically commanded his church to regularly remember Him in His death. See 1 Corinthians 11:26.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.”

 

 

Christmas Eve., 2008

Sheepfold Ministries – Pastor Phil Roland

WONDER OF THE INCARNATION

THREE THINGS JESUS GAVE UP:

I.  Jesus Gave Up POSITION – John 1:14

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

            A. He was King and Creator - 2 Cor. 8:9

             “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He

                 was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His

                 poverty might become rich.”

            B. He Became a Servant to Serve – Matt. 20:28

             “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to

                give His life a ransom for many."

II.  Jesus Gave Up His POSSESSIONS – John 1:1-3

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

          A. All Things Were His, He Created Them

          B. In This Life He Borrowed the Things of Others

                   1. Born in a Borrowed Cattle Trough

                   2. Borrowed a Boat for a Podium

                   3. Borrowed a Small Boy’s Lunch of Bread and Fish

                   4. Rode into Jerusalem on a Borrowed Donkey

                   5. Buried in a Borrowed Tomb

          C. He became Poor as any Servant

                   1. To Make Us Rich

                   2. To Show is Plan of Salvation to the Poor in Spirit

                   3. To Show Us How to Serve and to Love

III.  Jesus Gave Up PRIVILEGE

          A. A Servant Has No Privileges

                   1. The Master Eats First

                   2. Servant Eats Later

          B. Master Has His Entrance / Servant Has His

          C. Master Dwells Well / Servant Has Inferior Dwelling Place

          D. Master is Free / Servant has Little Freedom