The black, velvety sky was clear and studded with sparkling stars that had looked down on Earth since the beginning of time. Shepherds appeared to be sitting idly by their flocks but in fact were keeping a sharp lookout for anything or anyone who might harm the sheep entrusted to their care. In the distance, the lights from the town could be seen and the noisy commotion could be heard as more people were coming into the town than the town could hold.
On the clear night air, sound traveled easily and somewhere from the direction of the village inn someone slammed a door.
And a baby cried.
The Seed of the woman, Who would open heaven’s gate and welcome any and all who place their faith in Him . . . had been given!
The Hope that was born that night continues to radiate down through the years until it envelops your heart and mine.
To clarify their choice, Pilate asked the mob a question that has reverberated through the centuries, “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” They demanded with one voice, “Crucify him!”
Whom do you know who is rejecting Jesus today? Whoever those people are, regardless of the vehemence of their words, or the hardness of their hearts there is still hope.
Because some of the very men who had rejected Jesus on the Friday morning of His crucifixion did repent of their sins and receive His forgiveness and salvation! This astounding turnabout took place fifty days after the rioting mob screamed its rejection of Jesus. In the very place where Jesus had been condemned by the religious leaders, Peter preached a sermon to a crowd of thousands at the Feast of Pentecost. Three thousand people responded with deep contrition to Peter’s powerful proclamation of the truth. They repented of their sins and claimed Jesus Christ as their own Savior and Lord, receiving His forgiveness.
When I was small, my grandmother lived right across the street from where I lived with my family. Whenever I got sick or just wanted someone to read to me or sew for me or fix me something special to eat, I went across to her house. She taught me, read to me, played with me, fed me, and nursed me. When she died, I felt as if a part of myself had died. To this day, in unguarded moments, I still weep with that yearning, homesick feeling just to hear her voice or to see her smile or to feel her hug.
Paul says it is all right to grieve, even so many years after her death. But I am not to grieve as one who has no hope, because we believe that the same Jesus Who died on the cross to offer us forgiveness of sin, and the same Jesus Who was raised from the dead to give us eternal life is the same Jesus Who one day will come again! And when He comes, “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” When He comes, He will bring my grandmother with Him!
