“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (Jn 1:1-2 NIV). Jesus, the Light of the World, the very word of God, born on Christmas Day! Jesus, who always was, always is and always will be. 

Jesus was with God in the beginning, creating the heavens and the earth and everything in it.

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (Jn 1: 3 NIV).  Jesus sat with the Father and talked about how good all creation was; including humans. They sat together in heaven as humanity became corrupted, always sinful all the time. They were together as the flood covered the earth when merciful God gave all of creation a new beginning through Noah, the only righteous man left on earth. 

As one, they promised Abraham a nation greater than the stars in the sky. That promise was fulfilled in Israel, a nation of people who grew greater in number in Egypt; so great that the Egyptians held them captive in slavery. Jesus was with God as his Father performed signs and wonders in Egypt to set His people free from that captivity and as He divided the sea so the Israelites could cross on dry land.  

Jesus looked on from Heaven as God descended to earth in a fiery bush and spoke the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. He heard God’s covenant with the Israelites, that He would be their God and they would be His people. Together they saw the people rebel by building a golden calf to worship. But God was merciful to them and didn’t forsake them as He led the people through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Jesus watched as his Father provided for them, giving them manna from heaven and water from a rock.  

Jesus in heaven saw His Father lead His people into the Promised land, defeating enemies for them along the way. He watched as God loved his children and they rebelled. He saw God allow them to be taken captive by other nations because of their rebellion. He saw God’s mercy as He heard their cries and led them back to their land, Israel.  

At the end of the Old Testament, we are left with the Old Covenant and the old pattern: rebellion and mercy, rebellion and mercy. Man’s sin, and God’s law, a law we could never abide by well enough to save ourselves. But there were prophecies that projected hope, prophecies of a child that would be born for all; a child that would save people from the debt of their sin. 

Jesus loved God’s people as His Father did, they are one. And He knew the plan of the Father, to send One who could, and would, provide a new way, a new covenant. He loved us so much that he would be obedient to that plan. 

The Old Testament ended and four hundred years later, the prophecies came true. Jesus, God in flesh, came from heaven to earth, through the virgin birth and was laid in a manger. He left the glory of heaven to become fully man, God with us, Immanuel. His earthly parents named him Jesus as the angel commanded them to do. Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2: 6-8 ESV). Jesus, Yeshua, Yahweh saves. He saves us. 

The Old Covenant pressed upon the people to atone for their own sins by offering burnt sacrifices on the altar. The New Covenant came through Jesus. He bought our salvation with his own life. He took our sins upon himself becoming the ultimate and final sacrifice on the altar, the cross. His lifeless body was laid in a tomb, and all looked bleak. But three days later, he arose from the grave, claiming victory over death and over our sin! He finished the atonement for our sins for all time. Behold the King!

“What must I do to be saved? And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household’” (Acts 16:30-31).

We don’t have to live a life enslaved to sin any longer. We no longer have to carry a burden or hurt that makes us feel trapped, empty and hopeless. Because of what Jesus did for us we can be set free, just as He set the nation of Israel free from the Egyptians. We can have freedom from sin and bondage because he paid our debt, claiming victory over death and sin when he rose up from the grave.

You don’t have to remain stuck in the muck you are in right now. Regardless of what has a hold on you, you don’t have to remain there. Your struggles, your sin, your pain, your emptiness does not have to be the only story of your life. God sent His son to take on that muck, the sin or burden, that enslaves you. Jesus has already paid the penalty for your sin and is waiting for you to receive that gift of forgiveness that he freely offers. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23 ESV).

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:27-30 NIV).

Christmas is a time when gift giving abounds. Jesus gave the best gift of all. He left heaven for us and lived on this earth among us. He bought our salvation by dying on the cross for our sins. His gift is available now and all year long. He said, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (Jn 10:10 MSG).

Start the new year off by receiving the good gifts that Jesus gives: salvation from your sins and freedom from what binds you. He came to be “good news to the poor…to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for prisoners…to comfort all who mourn…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Is 61:1-3 NIV).

Give him all your burdens, your struggles, your anxiety, your sin. He loves you and cares for you, so much that he left heaven to come to earth for you. 

Worship Song: Light of the World by Lauren Daigle

Find Tracy on Facebook at Tracy Fields Todd, Writer, and on Instagram at @tracyftodd.