The Life of Christ

Luke 23:44-49

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”  When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.  But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

As we approach Christmas day, we think about the birth of Christ.  It is a joyous time of year.  However, as we read through the book of Luke, as I have been using this month, we are now at the point of Christs death.  While the birth of Christ is a joyous time, it really has little meaning if the rest of the life of Christ is not included. It was Christ’s death and resurrection that really gives us the hope for our future.

During this time that we are celebrating the first breath of the baby Jesus, I want to encourage us to not forget the last breath of Christ as well. 

Father God, thank you for sending your son to earth to save us.  It is during this time that we celebrate the birth of this precious baby, who was sent to us through a miraculous birth.  Not one of us wants to think about the death of someone when they are born, however it is not through the birth of Christ alone that we have hope.  It is through the life of Christ, his death and his resurrection that gives us the forgiveness and the hope for our own future.  Help us today to remember the entire life of Christ this week.