February 19, 2018 – Philippians 2:7-8

Instead, He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. Then He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:7-8.

Have you ever wondered about the ‘Why’ of Christmas? The story of the birth of Jesus, appearing in a human form, with all of the participants is nothing but miraculous and of God.  From the prophecy made known to man, to the lowly shepherds the angels informed, to the star that led the wisemen to find Jesus and gave Him gifts.  Nothing was by chance but part of God’s Plan.

Jesus humbled himself in obedience to God. He allowed Himself to be crucified.  Why?  Because He loves you and He loves me. He sacrificed his life because of His love for us.  What do we do for the gift of life Jesus gives?

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”  Mark 8:34-35. 

Just as there is only One God, there is only One Son, Jesus. And the name of Jesus is above all other names.  God has proclaimed this in Matthew 17:5, But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. Philippians 2:9