by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Rejoicing in Christmas with Resurrection Joy

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 English Standard Version

No, I haven’t got my seasons mixed up, and I’m not looking to Easter because it means the days will be slightly longer and hopefully the temperatures warmer.

It’s difficult to celebrate Christmas if we don’t keep in mind why Jesus came as baby, why he dressed himself with human flesh and blood. The peace of which we sing, the peace that will bring tears to our eyes, comes to us through the bloodiness of death and the joy of resurrection. It is for this purpose that the baby comes.

We are well aware of the fact that through one man came death. The day that we were conceived in our mothers’ wombs we began our journey to death. There is no stopping it. There is a 100% chance that we will die if Christ doesn’t return soon.

Yet, because of this baby born into this world of death, there is also a 100% chance that those who trust in him, who know the mercy he has for them, will rise from the dead. Paul is emphatic, “Christ has been raised from the dead.” It was this resurrected Jesus who appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. How it must have burned in his heart that the people who had never seen Jesus, know that he was raised from the dead.

As you gather with your family and friends, singing Joy to the World, and Silent Night, may you hear the echoes of the resurrection ringing in your ears, knowing that the day isn’t far off when we will also sing, I Know That My Redeemer Lives.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado