The Purpose

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

If we had to summarize Christmas in one verse, I think this would be the one!

These were the words spoken to Joseph by the angel of the Lord. The angel starts out telling Joseph some basic and simple information like the baby will be a boy, and you need to name him Jesus... And then all of a sudden, the angel reveals God's ultimate purpose in one swoop saying, "for he shall save his people from their sins."

The simplistic-to-powerful pattern of this verse reflects the way Jesus came to the earth, operated on the earth, and how He left the earth. Jesus came to the earth very simply born in a manger. There were no parties and His only visitors were strangers. Jesus operated on the earth as a servant teaching others to serve. He didn't live lavishly, but rather humbly. However, Jesus went out with all power and glory. He defeated death and became the living sacrifice for our sins.

Now that the Christmas season is up and running full force, let's make it an even greater priority to focus on Christ and all He has given us.