Our heroes usually wear masks, so we don't know who they really are. Like Spiderman and Batman and the Green Lantern and Zorro... and, of course, the original masked man: the Lone Ranger.
We benefit from their kindness -- they frequently save the world from bad guys like the Penguin and the Joker -- but we don't know who they really are. They may be our heroes, but our knowledge of them is limited; they can't be known personally!
There's a sense in which the same could have been said about God. In the Old Testament we learned about him, we saw how his people benefitted from his kindness, but we couldn't really know him personally, intimately. It was like he was behind a mask.
On Christmas Day, the mask was removed. He revealed himself to us fully and completely, so that we may known him as he really is. This is why, when Philip asked Jesus to reveal the Father, Jesus said, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)
God's plan is not to be our hero. He wants to be more than the one we call on in times of trouble.
He wants to be our constant companion, our Father, our friend. He wants us to know him personally. This is made possible through his Son, Jesus Christ, who was sent to us two thousand years ago. This is why we celebrate his birth.
During the month of December at Christian Life Center our focus will be on Jesus! What significance does this first-century Jewish rabbi named Jesus have in our lives today? He claimed to be the Messiah; how does it affect our lives? Join us this Sunday as we begin exploring the real reason for the season!
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Not related to topic... Referring to Tithing.
My son recently said to me we are not under the Old Testament, but the New Testament. Which he says you give (Tithe) whatever, as long as you give it from your heart. So while on my way to work I thought about what he said. And, this is what I am going to share with him shortly... The Old Testament tells us what to tithe (10%) the New Testament tells us "How to do it" "Cheerfully".
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