The advent reading for today expresses the entire reason for Jesus’ leaving heaven and coming to earth. Notice the last few lines. In the Old Testament days of Moses, people had to live by the law. God gave Moses the 10 commandments that covered everything people would need to do to live in harmony with God and each other. Then the legislature got together and started the add-on process and well – we know how that turned out. But back to our story.
God sent Jesus to Earth for one purpose, to live a life of grace and truth among the people, do good, and then die on the cross for the sins of all people regardless of race, color, creed, status, office, wealth, or (get this) religious denomination. All people, everyone, everywhere. This was so the path to heaven no longer came through following the law, but through acceptance of Jesus. It’s so easy, we have a hard time believing that we don’t have to worry about God sitting up there in heaven with scales that tips toward the bad if we don’t do everything right and tips toward good when we do. That’s not the way it is, friends. There are no weights and measures in God’s law. He says His grace is sufficient. He sent Jesus from heaven to take care of all the sins in the world – age 33, Calvary, the cross.
Jesus came into the world and nobody recognized who he was. He was rejected by his own people. And even though he never did one thing wrong, his destiny was rejection again by his own people and cruel death on the cross. That’s why Jesus came to Earth. There are no scales in heaven. The question is – do you worship the baby in the manger, but reject the Christ of the cross?
John 1:9-18 (NIV)
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[a] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgcGmgrNuLM Joseph’s Lullaby by Mercy Me
Because of Grace we Press On