The season of Advent is closing, soon to be eclipsed by the joy of Christmas. Thank you for staying with me for these past three weeks and, for some of you, over the past twenty or thirty years of different Advent themes. Today we continue the theme for 2023, “A Legacy of Faith.”
We have looked at many people who have influenced our lives, including ancestors, parents, teachers, friends and more. However, there is one person who has had the greatest influence of anyone on my life. I should say he is the Person who has had the greatest impact on me. That would be my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Like my parents, Jesus has protected me. Like my husband, he has provided for all my needs. Like my teachers, he has taught me. Like my friends, he has encouraged me. In truth, if you review all the categories of influencers we have looked at this Advent season, people who have had major impact on my life, Jesus rises to the top in every category.
At Christmas we mark the birth of Jesus, but do we remember all he sacrificed to come to earth? He left his family in heaven to come to earth. He shed his divine nature and became a man. He stepped out of eternity and into time. He left unending light and entered the darkness of Mary’s womb.
Jesus went beyond what every other person ever did for me. He laid down his life for me. A woman once knelt and wept as she prayed for me, but she did not give her life for me.
Because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, I do not have to fear walking into God’s presence. I do not carry a heavy load of guilt or shame. Jesus introduced me to the Father. Now, as it says in Psalm 84:2, “I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.”
I pray with all my heart that you feel the same way.
