By Jon Duncan | Centerpoint Church
The words of so many of our favorite Christmas carols seem to fit Pagosa perfectly — the new-fallen snow has made our beautiful corner of Colorado almost magical and the frigid temperatures keep us close by the fire.
Flickering firelight, blinking lights on our Christmas trees and the long, dark nights that deepen as we fast approach the shortest day of the year all contribute to that special feeling in the air. Christmas is almost here; the carols on the radio remind us of this daily and the anticipation is building as our children and grandchildren fixate on their favorite day of the year.
Why do we celebrate Christmas? What is the reason why we make so much of this holiday? It is to help us remember; busy, distracted, preoccupied people weighed down with worries and cares need to be reminded of the great events in history. And there is no greater event in all of human history than the birth of Jesus just over 2,000 years ago.
The Almighty stepping into His created world in order to reveal Himself to a race that could never possibly know Him otherwise. An eternal God who revealed Himself to Abraham in the glory cloud of the covenant ceremony, to Moses in the burning bush, to the Israelites in the pillar of fire in the wilderness, to the nation of Israel in the tabernacle and again in the temple. An infinitely holy God who was willing to meet broken and lost mankind on a level never before imagined — not just between the cherubim above the mercy seat behind the thick veil in the Holy of Holies, but now in the person of the God-man, Jesus Christ, messiah, savior of the world. An event that goes against the very laws of nature, against all that we as humans could even imagine — God becoming man, Spirit becoming flesh to reveal Himself to us that we might come to know Him intimately and personally. To enable us to begin to understand His desire for us to become members of His family and move to heaven when we leave this earth. To make it possible for us to approach the Creator of the universe without fear of rejection or destruction. To offer to us here and now the promise of the very Spirit of God to live in us, guiding us to the peace, joy and contentment that we all spend our life looking for. It was — and continues to be — the single greatest event in the history of mankind: that God Himself was willing to come to earth, be born of a virgin, live a sinless life and die a criminal’s death — all for us.
Our prayer is that this event is more to you than just the story that is told at Christmas or the story that is contained in so many of the songs that you sing. May it be the affirmation of your new life through faith in the risen Savior who was that very babe in the manger just a handful of years before.
Come join us at Centerpoint Church as we celebrate the miraculous event of the incarnation this Christmas Eve at our Candlelight Service, which will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24. There will be Christmas carols, children’s choir, Christmas videos, the retelling of the Christmas story as seen through the eyes of the shepherds, and we will finish with our candlelight service as we sing “Silent Night” together. We would love to welcome you into our family, as we wonder together at the greatest event our world will ever know.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14.
There will be an online service only on Christmas morning; join our family whenever is best for your family at centerpointpagosa.com to participate in our special Christmas service.
