by Pastor Lester Kelly
Whatever it takes
The question ‘how far would you go?’ is used often today.
There are different lengths to how far people will go in life involvement. When I think of the Christmas story, the theme could be whatever it takes.
The heart of the Christmas story is found in the gospel of John, chapter one verse fourteen, which says, the Word is God, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us here on earth.
If we are going to experience a Great Christmas, there are truths to understand.
Firstly, that God did something way beyond what man would do. He broke all the limits of communication.
So, we could meet with Him. He took extreme action; God became flesh to live amongst us, seeing our needs, feeling our hurts and struggles. And then He implemented a rescue mission.
Ultimately, He dies on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins on our behalf, giving us a great escape. He took whatever it takes action to come to this earth, to be still God and yet be man.
Secondly, He communicated a whatever it takes message, a message full of grace and truth; don’t miss these extremes.
You have sinned, full of truth; and yet He showed to us, at the same time, God’s grace, his unmerited, undeserved favour. Being far from perfect and struggling with sin, having fallen short of God’s standards, yet God loves us, and offers His gift of absolute forgiveness of sin, enabling us to enter back into a right relationship with Him.
Within these extremes of absolute truth and grace, He reconciled the two and brought them together in His birth, death and His resurrection, so in that first Christmas the action He took was extreme and the message He brought, whatever it takes.
Get ready for a whatever it takes Christmas.