The Gospel Clarifies Christmas (1 of 6)
Series: Gospel Clarity
Bob Ingle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
This week the headline of an online news article caught my eye. It read: Mom Arrested for Letting Child Play 120 Feet from Home. You have to read something like that right? ''Sonya Hendren, of Sacramento, California allowed her 4-year-old son Tomahawk play alone on a playground 120 feet from their front door within their gated community. The blonde hair/blue eyed boy was perfectly safe and did it frequently. A neighbor saw the little boy by himself and called the police thinking the mother would receive a warning. She was arrested for felony child endangerment and neglect.'' Now, a few things hit my mind as I read the article.
First: she should have been arrested for naming her child Tomahawk. What, hatchet and machete were already taken by a family member or something?
Second: my parents would have spent much of their lives in jail. They let me walk by myself a quarter of mile everyday to kindergarten at five years old. I had no idea I was so abused.
Third: What would our world do today if they found out a brand-new mother gave birth in a stable full of smelly animals with no doctor, and used a dirty feeding trough as a crib for her new born baby?
Well, the manger of Bethlehem, where Jesus slept on the first Christmas night, has become a sacred symbol of His love, His humility, and His willingness to do whatever it takes to save sinners like you and me. And rightly so. But the truth is if we're not careful, it's possible to get so mesmerized by the manger that we get stuck in the stable and miss the bigger picture of Christmas. Remember what the Angel told the Shepherds about the manger? The Angel said in Luke 2:12, ''And this will be a sign to you. You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.'' The angel said the manger was what? A sign. A sign is something that points to and promotes something else not itself. A sign is ...
Series: Gospel Clarity
Bob Ingle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
This week the headline of an online news article caught my eye. It read: Mom Arrested for Letting Child Play 120 Feet from Home. You have to read something like that right? ''Sonya Hendren, of Sacramento, California allowed her 4-year-old son Tomahawk play alone on a playground 120 feet from their front door within their gated community. The blonde hair/blue eyed boy was perfectly safe and did it frequently. A neighbor saw the little boy by himself and called the police thinking the mother would receive a warning. She was arrested for felony child endangerment and neglect.'' Now, a few things hit my mind as I read the article.
First: she should have been arrested for naming her child Tomahawk. What, hatchet and machete were already taken by a family member or something?
Second: my parents would have spent much of their lives in jail. They let me walk by myself a quarter of mile everyday to kindergarten at five years old. I had no idea I was so abused.
Third: What would our world do today if they found out a brand-new mother gave birth in a stable full of smelly animals with no doctor, and used a dirty feeding trough as a crib for her new born baby?
Well, the manger of Bethlehem, where Jesus slept on the first Christmas night, has become a sacred symbol of His love, His humility, and His willingness to do whatever it takes to save sinners like you and me. And rightly so. But the truth is if we're not careful, it's possible to get so mesmerized by the manger that we get stuck in the stable and miss the bigger picture of Christmas. Remember what the Angel told the Shepherds about the manger? The Angel said in Luke 2:12, ''And this will be a sign to you. You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.'' The angel said the manger was what? A sign. A sign is something that points to and promotes something else not itself. A sign is ...
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