Christmas and the Uniqueness of Christianity
- Mark Lauterbach
- Dec 1, 2007
- Series: Home page
It is not at all unusual to hear religious people lamenting the loss of the real meaning of Christmas. Retail shopping has certainly made this season their reason for profitability. But injecting some religious activity back into the holidays is not at all what would be in keeping with the meaning of the Christ-child.
Christmas is not a message about religion at all. Christmas is anti-religion. Christmas is unique among all the other religions of the world.
It seems there are two ways for God to relate to huamnkind. Either God appears or sends someone to us who will teach us the true path to follow. Be that a path to freedom from suffering, or a path to enlightenment, or a path that merits God's favor - the common element is that God speaks and we do something or experience something. That is every religious system in the world, except one.
The other way God relates to us is for God to come and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He does not come with a list of things for us to do. he comes to do. he asks us to do nothing. That is Christianity. That is the birth of Jesus.
When the Son of God came into the world, he was announced as the Savior. He was not proclaimed first as a prophet or a teacher. His name means, the Lord saves!
God took on human flesh and lived a sinless life, then died a sinners death - so that he might put an end to all human religions and striving after God. Jesus coming is the end of religion. Jesus coming is a message that God has done for us what we do not deserve and could not accomplish at all. He has done it all in love and offers us the gift of forgiveness of sin freely. We must cease our doing and self-improvement and receive the gift of God in Christ,
That is what Grace Church in San Diego in all about. Come join us HERE on Sundays at 10 AM to learn more about Jesus family Tree. Check out our sermons HERE to learn more.