12.22.7 "Sing and Rejoice!"

"Sing and Rejoice!"

Zechariah 2:1-3:10
Revelation 13:1-18
Psalm 141:1-10
Proverbs 30:18-20

Christmas time is here! While I may have caused that Charlie Brown tune to get stuck in your head, the thoughts of Christmas stir up a variety of thoughts and emotions in each individual. Because this is the most intensely celebrated day of the year for both the believer and the non-believer, there is a ton of pressure that this season lives up to expectations. What are you "expecting" for Christmas? No, not as a gift, but what are your expectations? For some it's not the expectations that are the issue, it's the hurt of past expectations that were unmet that sour the memories of Christmas. Sometimes these feelings can be quite intense, and they ultimately sour the anticipation of the celebration.

As we near the end of the year, the apocalyptic prophecies in the selected readings from the One Year Bible can seem somewhat foreboding. They don't seem "Christmassy" at the surface. But let's look at this account of Zechariah's vision in chapter 3:

"Then the Angel showed me (in my vision) Joshua the High Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord; and Satan was there too, at the Angel's right hand, accusing Joshua of many things.

"And the Lord said to Satan, 'I reject your accusations, Satan; yes, I the Lord, for I have decided to be merciful to Jerusalem - I rebuke you. I have decreed mercy to Joshua and his nation; they are like a burning stick pulled out of the fire.'

"Joshua's clothing was filthy as he stood before the Angel of the Lord.

"Then the Angel said to the others standing there, 'Remove his filthy clothing.' And turning to Joshua he said, 'See I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.'" (Zech 3:1-4)

Zechariah then foretells the coming of Christ. "Listen to me, O Joshua the High Priest, and all you other priests, you are illustrations of the good things to come. Don't you see? - Joshua represents my servant the Branch whom I will send. He will be the Foundation Stone of the Temple that Joshua is standing beside, and I will engrave this inscription on it seven times: I will remove the sins of this land in a single day." (3:8-9)

Jesus is the Branch sent by God to deliver our sins in a single day. Christmas is an incredible day. As a child I didn't think it would ever get here. It seemed so far off. It seemed like there was no chance of it ever coming. The anticipation was so great, it seemed like time was taking forever. But as adults, it will come and we know, Lord willing, it will pass.

There's another day coming that's probably hard for us to imagine getting here. Each one of us will be standing in front of God. The Accuser will be there, and he will be asking for our Judgment. But there will be one who stands up and says, "NO!" There is no charge against him! That is the One who came on Christmas. He gave his life to remove our sins on a single day.

Zech 2:10 says, "Sing, Jerusalem, and rejoice! For I have come to live among you, says the Lord".

Christ came to earth for me! For you. As you look at your family this weekend, look at them with the love of Christ knowing that he came for them as well! Our sins were taken away the day he died on the cross. What a privilege and honor to be able to celebrate this season.

I find Zech 3:10 to be interesting. It says, "and after [he comes], you will all live in peace and prosperity and each of you will own a home of your own where you can invite your neighbors." Whether or not you own a home, there's a principle here. The result of his coming is that we live in the practice of hospitality. Whatever your resources are, use them this season for giving. If you have a home, make it a place that exudes the presence of Christ. If you are giving gifts, give with the motivation of the freedom we have in Christ.

Sing and Rejoice!


Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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