A Christmas Message

This is likely what our Savior, Jesus Christ, looks like! He was most definitely not a white Jesus.

His first appearance was not to the rulers or religious people. He was first received by the shepherds! The common man. His second was to the Wise Men, who were mystics, following the star in the heavens.

He was worshiped in a barn, surrounded by filth.

He was an immigrant whose parents were fleeing political and religious persecution. He spent His life with the sinners, not the religious people, or people of power.

He did not crave power, or connections, and the only times He showed His righteous anger was when He was dealing with the Religious leaders, like when He turned over the money tables in the Temple!

He didn’t get angry with those who were considered “sinners”, but only showed his love and gentleness towards them, knowing that ALL men are sinners, and were in need of His love.

He was sent to this earth, by The Father, to bring salvation to the WHOLE WORLD, not just “His people”, the Israelites.

He didn’t call for us to build Christian Empires, but to show His love to everyone, particularly those in marginalized communities. The “unlovable”, or “the least of these”, were the ones He was surrounded by!

His “Religion” was so simple, yet the most difficult thing for many religious people to do.

In speaking to the Religious leaders of His day, He told them that the most important commands were to, “30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 30-31.

His “New Covenant” was a fulfillment, or completion, of “The Old”. Our Father showed us that no man could ever fulfill all of the Laws (613) to make us “Good enough”, and therefore He provided the perfect sacrifice, in His son.

Jesus took on the sins of the whole world, and then asked His followers to do just those 2 simple Commandments!

2 Commandments vs 613 Laws!

As we celebrate His birth today, remember who He really was, and what He has called His people to do.

It’s heartbreaking to me when I see religious people cherry pick Old Testament scripture, to validate teaching that God is a “God of hate…. God of War”. That was before the New Covenant, and what Jesus did for the world!

GOD is just, and HE will judge us all, but He won’t do it through humans anymore. All we humans have been called to do is to show the LOVE of Jesus. Then the rest is in our Father’s hands.

BTW, He says in the New Testament that there will be greater judgement against religious leaders who lead His people astray….

Matthew 7 is full of Jesus’ warnings to the religious leaders, and the church people in the end of days.