8 Diamonds

Joy

I got to go to the Prestonwood Christmas production on Saturday. I’d heard about it a good bit from lots of people, but this was my first time to see it. From the beginning it was impressive. It seemed to be produced with the same quality of a West End production or something you might see on Broadway, although maybe a bit more over the top. It started off silly and holiday-ish, and transitioned into to traditional Church Christmas music sung a brilliant choir during the second part, but the third and last segment of the production was astounding.
The scene began with the cross and Mary weeping and then went on to tell the entire story of Jesus’ life from the point of view of Peter, as if he were remembering all the extraordinary times he had shared with him or knew of him, starting with his birth and going through several miracles, through the last supper and passion, through death and resurrection.
In my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a representation of the life of Jesus portrayed for Christmas. That’s usually reserved for Easter. But somehow, after seeing it there, it seems short-sighted to celebrate only the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Only when you look at the whole story of Jesus can you understand why Christmas is so significant and essential to our faith. Hundreds of years of prophecy had foretold Jesus’ coming. Jews for ages had been expecting him. God promised that Jesus would be sent, as the Lamb, the new covenant, the Savior. He was sent to fulfill the blood sacrifice that was required for sins. Not just for one sin, or one person’s sin, but for all the sin of the world of all time.
As Pastor Gary said on Sunday, the meaning of Christmas is realized through what Jesus did while he was alive; especially through relationships with others, individually—the adulterous woman who was going to be stoned, and corporately—every person who has ever sinned.
Christmas can’t properly be appreciated without understanding the implications of God sending a living sacrifice for his people. It is proof of God’s power, of his commitment to his word, of his great plan, and of his boundless love for us.
The night Jesus was born is the night God came to earth. The promise is kept. The Savior is here. Death is defeated.
That is the story of Christmas. That is reason for joy.

posted by Alyene @ 8:24 PM