The temperature had dropped into the 30’s on Sunday night and Dwayne and I tucked hats under our head coverings. No one would notice in the dark. We were participating in our church’s biannual three-day production of Cradle to the Cross, which is a drive-through drama with a fabulous set and 150 people dressed as they did in Israel 2000 years ago. A couple thousand people drove through in personal cars or rode in one of the hay wagons. We rode through on a wagon in costume (introducing ourselves as Zechariah and Elizabeth) to give us a view of the entire drama. The scenes included angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary; the town of Bethlehem where the Roman soldiers proclaimed the mandatory census—some of them mounted on horses; Joseph, Mary, and their donkey inquiring at the inn; Jesus’s birth in the stable with sheep, goats, an alpaca, and a cow; the angels’ appearance to the shepherds in the field with their flocks and them hurrying to see the child. Up on a hillside, the wise men dressed in royal finery searched the sky with a telescope looking for the star they were following.
With the transition to the end of Jesus’s life—three scenes depicting His death and resurrection— the scriptures we heard made it clear He died for us—not for any wrong he had done; that He, Himself, was the sacrificial lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. Under the old covenant, the temple priests spilled the blood of animals every day to cover the sins of the people. Hebrews 10:11-14 says, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again, and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
This Christmas season as we consider the baby in the manger, we are also realizing more fully why He was born. Jesus was born to die. His faith was tested as He lived and He was found obedient in all things, doing His Father’s will all the way to the cross. All the extraordinary things He said and did, described for us in the gospels, are icing on the cake, so to speak. He was the only person who has ever lived who was perfect. No sin. Therefore, his blood fulfilled the Old Testament requirement for a perfect lamb, a blood sacrifice to cover the sins of the people. His was a one-time sacrifice that covered sin for all time, for all people. He fulfilled the old covenant, bringing it to an end, and ushering in the new covenant in which those who believe this are called children of God. John 1:12-13 tells us, “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
And so, the Cradle to the Cross was a powerful reminder that while Jesus was born to die for us, we were born to live for Him. Hebrews 10:19-25 speaks of our part in this new covenant: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest [Jesus] over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
With these truths in mind, we can join in worship with those who first sought him—the shepherds near enough to run to the stable, and the foreign kings who traveled for years to reach Him. He came for all of us, regardless of social standing, gender, age, time or place of birth through all generations. No one is left out, no one is too bad, and no one is good enough. We are all sinners, and His blood covers the sins of us all. Our part is to believe this truth and follow Him as Lord. Have you done that? A sincere profession of faith to the Lord, Himself, will change your life. This is the greatest reason to worship Him this Christmas.