When the angels went away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they went with haste
and found Mary and Joseph,
and the baby lying in a manger.
- Luke 2:15, 16
Christmas Time is Here (or so the Christmas song from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special tells us).
It’s the Advent Season, that time when we celebrate of the arrival of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, just over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, where He was laid in a manger, the closest thing Mary and Joseph could find to a cradle.
The Son of God came as one of us, entering the world as all of us have, as a baby, fully and completely dependent on others to meet His every need. Lying there in the manger, He was the greatest example of humility ever lived, because no one so powerful, so mighty, so glorious had ever become so weak, so helpless, so “normal” as He did. He left heaven to come to earth to bring salvation to a world in desperate need.
This journey from glory to lowly made everything we have in Christ possible, our hope tangible, our peace obtainable, our salvation by grace through faith securable.
This Christmas many of us will take a journey of some kind. Some will travel miles to be with family. Some will travel through their memories to times gone by. Some will travel to some exotic location to experience some adventure. For many the journey will be internal, an emotional and spiritual journey, prompted by the music, decorations, stories, events and activities of Christmas. It is hard to not be affected by this season.
At Bridges, it is our hope that this Christmas is a journey of a greater discovery for you of Jesus the Christ, the Reason for the season, the One whose birth ushered in everything true and good about Christmas.
We will be on a journey at Bridges over the next few weeks...
...it will be a journey of conviction
a journey of surrender
a journey of wonder
a journey of sacrifice
& a journey of discovery
Please join us as we take a Journey to the Manger, a journey together through the Christmas story as depicted in the Gospels, God’s telling of the story that changed our world.
Journey to the Manger
Message Series: December 12 – January 2
Christmas Eve Eve Service – Thursday, December 23, 7:00pm