Why Did I Come?

Many people reduce Christmas to building or celebrating traditions. Little is said about Jesus and his birth. However, as Christians, we need to explore the answers to some very important questions that we deal with during this season. In this week’s sermon we will explore the answer Jesus gives to a question often asked at Christmastime.

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon “Watch and Be Ready“ delivered on Christian Crusaders December 2, 2001.

As we take time to sit with God’s Word, He makes it powerfully clear why Jesus had to come. That’s why it is necessary to receive Christ if we want to be restored into a personal relationship with God. The manger was only the beginning. Thirty-three years later it was the cross and the empty tomb that provided full atonement for the sins of all those who would receive Him as their Savior and Lord.

On the Light Side
A rural church began the lovely Christmas tradition of staging a living Nativity scene on the front lawn. It became the talk of that small community. A visitor driving through town stopped and admired the performance, but one feature troubled him. The three wise men were carrying heavy canvas hoses, and they wore fire helmets. Unable to come up with an explanation on his own, the tourist went to one of the church members who stood by.

“Why the fire hoses and helmets on the three wise men?” he asked.

The church lady shook her head in disgust and replied, “You Yankees never do read the Bible!”

He assured her he did, but couldn’t recall anything about firemen in the Bible.

The lady indignantly pulled her Bible out from under her arm and riffled through the pages, finally jabbing her finger at one particular passage. Putting the Good Book right up in his face, she said, “See, Yankee, it says right here: ‘The three wise men came from afar!’”

The program "Why Did I Come?" will air Sunday, December 6, 2009. Visit www.christiancrusaders.org for radio stations and times, or to listen online.