Put Feet to the Truth of Christmas!

To shepherds in a dark quiet field an angel suddenly appeared, clothed in the glory of the Lord announcing, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.” This was followed by the heavenly host praising God. Then the window to heaven shut and it was dark again (Lk. 2:10-14).

Thirty years later Jesus, the son of God was baptized by John the Baptist into solidarity with fallen man. The Holy Spirit descends upon Him as He ascends out of the water, leading Him directly into the temptations that await in the wilderness. Emerging impeccable from that Satanic gauntlet, Jesus went home. “And as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read” (Lk. 4:16).

There, in the power of the Spirit, Jesus made His inaugural address, assuming His mantle of the world’s Messiah. Here is the scene: The synagogue attendant hands Him the Isaiah scroll. He opens it to the servant section, prophetically describing the Savior of the world. And He reads the following words, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…proclaim release to the captives…to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Lk. 4:18-19).

Riveted, every eye on Jesus in that Synagogue in his hometown Nazareth, He closes the book, handing it back to the attendant. Then He sits down. The prophetic words Jesus says next are the words the world has been waiting, hoping, and longing for since the fall of Adam and Eve. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk. 4:21).

In this moment, for ears ready to hear and eyes ready to see, it is as if Jesus, “the Sunrise from on high” (Lk 1:78), is saying, “Here I Am. It has begun. The time of darkness is over. I am the light. The years of sin-debt are ended. I am your jubilee. The oppressive reign of death is numbered. I am your resurrection.”

Freedom is dawning and the future’s horizon is filled with hope. We see Him. We hear Him. Emmanuel. God is with us. God is for us. God loves us. For those who recognize their spiritual poverty, their slavery to sin, their blindness to the truth of God, and their oppression by death, their Savior has assumed his mantle.

Today we can breathe easy, stand up straight, and smile as we watch the salvation of our God. For today is the day of salvation!

Today we can breathe easy, stand up straight, and smile as we watch the salvation of our God. For today is the day of salvation!

This is what the multitude of the heavenly host understood when they praised God at Jesus’ birth saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased” (Lk. 2:14).

The people of God through CompassCare put feet to the truth of Christmas. Jesus came to rescue us from death. The world cannot save itself. The world’s answer to its dilemmas is often death. But Jesus’ determined sacrifice and atonement for our sins before a perfectly just God, is the infinite love of God on display. “For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2), paving the way for eternal life with Him.

Now what? As Jesus sacrificed for us, we owe all to Him. And He asks us to walk in His footsteps, sacrificing on behalf of our neighbor beaten and left for dead. Seek out, serve, and sacrifice—like the Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37)—for the poor and the prisoners, proclaiming freedom and forgiveness in Christ alone.

There is no one more widowed and oppressed than a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, coerced by her relationships and circumstances to abort her baby. There is no one more fatherless than a baby whose mother believes she must choose between her life and her baby’s. She is ensconced in darkness unless and until the people of God through CompassCare shine the light and love of Jesus upon her.

This Christmas, shine the light of Christ. Give a woman and her baby the gift of life. Doubling yet again the number of women and babies saved from abortion in the nation’s abortion capital is the 2025 goal. This requires $1.2M by year-end. A generous donor committed to doubling your investment in lives saved. Double your life-saving impact for a woman and her baby as together we remember the gift that Baby Jesus was destined to give: LIFE!

P.S. Every dollar you give will be matched. And with a monthly commitment you will receive a signed copy of my Christmas devotional. Become a monthly lifesaver at www.2Ximpact.life!