Luke 2:11 (NLT) The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

In this world of trouble and pain, there are moments when we need someone to save us. I grew up a block and a half from a beach in Brooklyn, New York (yes, there are beaches in Brooklyn) and there were many times when I saw people venture too far out in the ocean and start to have great difficulty keeping their heads above water. They were experiencing the possibility of drowning. At that point, there was only one way for them to stay alive and that was for someone to save them. Thankfully, there were always lifeguards on the watch during beach season. I had the experience of seeing the lifeguard on duty many times rush out into the ocean and swim as fast and as hard as he could in order to save the life of the person who was drowning. As the lifeguard would swim back with the seemingly lifeless person in his arms, he had to bear the entire weight of that person while making sure that he stayed afloat. As the lifeguard would make it back to shore with the person who was saved, there would be a big celebration from everyone who was watching the scene unfold with great hope and anticipation. We many times need someone to save us in this world. Thank God for lifeguards.

But there is a much bigger rescue that is needed in our lives because the implications of not being saved in that instance has severe consequences, which go beyond physical death. Every person in this world is born with a huge problem, and that is their sinful nature. This sinful nature will not only cause us to be eternally lost, but it also mars and ruins our short time here on earth. It leads us to do many things that result in pain, sorrow and even bodily death. There is no way out of it and no way to escape it. There were no "lifeguards" or anyone else on earth that could save us from this dilemma, so God came down to Earth Himself, taking on the body of a human being in order to save us. The only one that could save us had to be perfectly sinless and the only way to save us was to offer His life in place of ours to bear the penalty and the punishment for our many sins. He who knew no sin became sin so that sin could be crucified on the Cross of Calvary. That Savior is Jesus, and we celebrate His birth at Christmas. He is the promised Messiah, yes, the Savior who offers salvation to anyone who desires it. That is what Christmas is all about. It's not about lights and trees and gifts, but about the greatest rescue and the greatest salvation that has ever been made known to mankind. Christ the Savior was born and today, we who repent and receive Him as Lord and Savior are saved. This salvation is not just for the moment as it was for those that were saved from drowning. You can be saved from drowning but later on die in a car accident. No, this salvation is different. This salvation is for all of eternity, where death has been defeated and where we will live forevermore. It is an everlasting salvation and it is ours!  A Savior was born in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago and many are still being saved because Jesus came into the world that day. That is what makes for a very, Merry Christmas!

Pastor Joey Vazquez