MONDAYS MIDDAY MESSAGE Christmas: A Prequel, Part 4: The Best Is Yet to Come, By Rev. Dr. Kevin M. Baker, Key Scripture: Ruth 4:1-22 1) The last chapter in the Book of Ruth helps us to see the purpose and love of God in Christmas in an entirely new way. Naomi and Ruth were desperate; they needed someone to save their lives, their land and their family line. In order for Christmas to have meaning, we must understand that we also are in need of a “kinsman-redeemer.” We are not self-sufficient. We cannot and do not control life. We cannot overcome the power of death. Remember a few years ago when billions of people around the world were captivated by the story of 33 Chilean miners trapped beneath 2,300 feet of solid rock? For two months, the men prayed for someone to save them. None believed that they could get out on their own. On the surface above, the Chilean rescue team worked around the clock, drilling a hole and designing a unique rescue capsule. On October 13, 2010, the men finally began to emerge. All had different stories, but all had trusted someone else to save them. And when the rescue vehicle finally arrived, they eagerly climbed in. Why is it so hard for us to do the same? 2) The story of Ruth reveals the characteristics of our kinsman-redeemer. Not just anyone can take over the family line. He must be of our “clan.” He must be able to pay the price. He must make the transaction. Jesus was both divine and human; in order to have real relationships with other human beings, God had to become vulnerable to hurt and suffering. Pastor Tim Keller writes, “Christmas tells us that God became breakable and fragile. God became someone we could hurt. Why? To get us back. No other religion—whether secularism, Greco-Roman paganism, Eastern religions, Judaism or Islam—believes God became breakable or suffered or had a body.” As a baby in a manger and God in the flesh, Jesus became vulnerable so that we could become eternal. J. Sidlow Baxter writes, “In the super-miracle of the incarnation, our very Creator, Preserver, Judge, becomes our Kinsman, Sinbearer, Redeemer! Of all miracles and mysteries, this is the most staggering.”
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 21:44:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015