Our Savior is Born

"...She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  Matthew 1: 21

Sin is a reality that distorts God's natural order of His creation.

Sin is missing the mark of God's ordered trajectory, His perfection. Like a javelin's path is curved by the gravitational pull so is sin distorts and derails the path of life (Shalom) God intended for humanity. Sin makes us dead to any awareness of this distortion of God's creation order. We cannot see this unless we are awakened by the Holy Spirit. Sin is so perverse it continues to remain hiding, diminishing in our minds its malignancy, its destructive power. We excuse ourselves by comparing ourselves to 'others' - those despicable ones who deserved to be punished. Or we continue in our sinful existence and allow others' by saying things like 'to err is human'.  Some times we find ways to cover itself behind outward morality. It's deception is so deep that we think that we can earn God's favor and merit by this outward obedience and we elevate ourselves and look down upon our neighbor. 'Sin is the underlying trauma of all trauma' said my Pastor last Sunday. It's a poison that presents itself as sweet wine and in its promised stupor oblivious victims stagger towards their sure and slow demise.

The Jewish nation longed for God to save them from physical effects of sin, their slavery and oppression under alien nations as well as their burden of spiritual disobedience, the breaking of the law of God given to them through Moses. The endless sacrifice of innocent animals to atone and purge their guilt before God got them tired and they longed for God's salvation. God's deliverance came through Jesus, the promised Messiah, the anointed one. Yes! Jesus will save His people from their sins! The great news is that it is a universal call to all of us who suffer under the burden and effects of sin. May we meditate on the wonder and amazement of this potent call and let our pains, sufferings and anxieties over the next year be absorbed by this healing message that Jesus will save His people from sin, the malady of all maladies and the trauma of all trauma! May we draw near to Jesus and find His grace greater than our sins, a balm that heals our sorrows this season and in the coming year.