English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today’s message at First United Methodist Church Waco is from Pastor Brandon Frenzel titled “What Just Happened”. The message can be heard at this link. Below is an outline of the message. The words in black are notes provided by the church staff and the notes in blue are notes I added as I listened to the podcast.
Christmas should last throughout the year. The Lord was born because we needed Him, He came that we might know Him more, He came that we might have life.
The manger and the cross are connected.
The Lord came near (and moved into the neighborhood.)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (ESV)
Why did the Lord come in the flesh?
He came because we needed Him
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” – Matthew 1:22-23 (ESV)
Things were not working and people were praying for something different. They wanted a King and Jesus is born but many did not recognize Jesus as the King.
He came that we might know Him more
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” – Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
Jesus came as the exact imprint of God and calls people friends. It changes the landscape when we have a friend that likes us and walks with us in life. When we think about Christmas and ask the question, what happened, we now know that something major happened. The perfect present was given and this present goes with us everywhere we go because the gift is Jesus himself.
He came that we might have life
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10 (ESV)
The Lord wants us to flourish and experience Him in our day to day activities. He came not only to save us but to give us new life. Jesus doesn’t just put the pieces back together but He makes us new. Think about how organs are donated. Someone dies and then someone with a diseased organ receives a new life saving organ that lives in their body. Jesus is like that to all of us; living inside our body to give new life.
- Christmas Names (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
- The Red Moon (meanlittleboy2.wordpress.com)
