Another Christmas in the bag. Another round of wrapped boxes deconstructed. Another season saturated in the story of a baby born in a manger all those years ago. You probably heard at some point this past month that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but did anyone take a moment to talk about the reason Jesus came to us in the first place? Why was Jesus born? What makes God’s gift of himself a gift to us?
There are many ways the Bible talks about the purpose of Jesus’ life and death. The ones I grew up hearing were often “to save his people from their sin,” or “to rescue us from death.” Amen and hallelujah. Yet there’s another image that the biblical authors give us.
Jesus “came to what was his own… [and] to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:11–12). Said again, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman… so that we might receive adoption as children” (Galatians 4:4–5).
In other words, Jesus was born a child so that we might become God’s children. The son of God came so that we might all have the right to be called daughters and sons of God. One of the names the biblical authors give to Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Yet the real gift is not just that God is with us, but that because he is, we get to be with God. God wants us near to him, he wants us as part of the family, wants us to know that we belong with him.
As a new father myself, I am astounded at this gift. Before my daughter came into the world, I had no idea how much joy and love my heart could hold. She is an absolute delight to me. This past Christmas, the story of Jesus’ birth came alive to me in a new way, in no small part because I realized that what I feel toward my daughter, God feels toward me. He delights in us. And why not? We are his children!
If all that’s true, then I admit I give far too much space to the accuser who daily tries to convince me that I am not good enough for God, that God wants nothing to do with me, that God is fed up with me, that God is just waiting for me to make a wrong move, that God is sitting up there judging me. However, the gift of Jesus tells a different story.
That story is about a father who loves us and works for our flourishing. That story is about a father who does everything in his power to make a way for us to be with him. That story is about a father who rejoices to come near so that we will know we belong. There is no better gift than that.
Joshua Gorenflo is the minister at Kenai Fellowship, Mile 8.5 on the Kenai Spur Highway. Worship is 11 a.m. on Sundays. Streamed live at kenaifellowship.com.
