Born to Die

It's hard to believe, but Christmas is only 28 days away. By now most of us have started decorating our houses and have put up the Christmas tree.

In our house we like to decorate early.  We usually put the tree up and decorate the inside of the house the Saturday after Halloween, but with being sick and then trying to get ready for family coming we never got around to it until last night.

As we got out the big box that holds our tree, the girls started separating the branches by size so that we could put the tree together. As my middle daughter would pick up a branch to bring it to me she would wave it in the air and say, "Hosanna, Hosanna". She did this with every single branch.

Now of course we recognize waving palm branches and shouting "Hosanna" as part of the Palm Sunday/Easter Celebration. But as I thought about what she was doing I had this thought:

The reason for Christmas is irrevocably linked to the redemption of our sins. Bethlehem’s baby only makes sense in light of Calvary’s crucified Savior. 

The Apostle Paul captured the essence of the Incarnation when he wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.”

So as you enjoy this Christmas season with all the lights and decorations. Remember that the birth we celebrate is the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

He was born to die!