Christmas, God, us, and His present Jesus.
Have you ever taken a look to see what your life would be like without a house or home or work or family? Where does bare bones Christianity take us? I dare to direct us to Romans 8:31-34 and 1 Peter 3:18-19 which point to how Christ has picked us up and forgiven us from our sinful, inherited condition and put new life into us. He claims us as His own and has given us His life both here and in eternity. Since He has done this for us, there is nothing and no one that can take or break His love toward us. May His call from the manger in Paul Gerhardt’s hymn ‘All my Heart Again Rejoices’ LSB 360, vs 5-6, remind us of who and whose we are this Christmas.
5 Softly from His lowly manger
Jesus calls
One and all,
“You are safe from danger.
Children, from the sins that grieve you
You are freed;
All you need
I will surely give you.”
6 Come, then, banish all your sadness!
One and all,
Great and small,
Come with songs of gladness.
We shall live with Him forever
There on high
In that joy
Which will vanish never.
LSB Hymn 360 Text and Tune: Public Domain
Written by VPDA Laurentian, Rena Detlefsen
Serving in His Strength” is a blog
published by the Member Development Committee of
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League–Canada, Inc.
Lutheranwomen.ca
2025