Merry Christmas! What a wonderful day to celebrate Jesus’ birth as a human baby so He could grow and be tempted just like you and I are[1]. Then one day He died on the cross to pay for our sins[2] and all the many ways we’ve turned from God – total good and truth. Not only did Jesus die, but He rose from that grave and 40 days later went back to heaven[3], where He now sits at God’s right hand praying for you and me[4]. What a marvelous thought!As I read my Bible this glorious Christmas morning, I came to Luke 8:22-25[5] where Jesus and the disciples took a boat to the other side of Lake Galilee. While on the way, a storm came up and the boat took on water. These fishermen who traveled that lake regularly to make their living suddenly became afraid they would capsize. Waking Jesus, they exclaimed, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”   “Getting to his feet, he told the wind, ‘Silence!’ and the waves, ‘Quiet down!’ They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.”

This story reminded me of a time my husband and I were on Jenny Lake in Wyoming’s Teton National Park in a small Jon boat. It’s 10-horsepower motor handled the smooth water great as we went to our destination across the lake from the dock. A wind but not a storm came up, so we headed back to the dock immediately. As my husband guided the boat, I prayed, remembering this story and asked the Lord to calm the waves because the motor struggled, and I wondered if it might stall against the strong current. God did not calm that storm, but He did bring us safely back to land.

I tell this to remind us that as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ today, He prays for us in heaven and no matter what storms we face in the future, our Father hears and answers Jesus’ prayers and takes us to our destination.

Have a blessed Christmas day and always remember to take Jesus out of that manger and see Him seated at the right hand of Father God.

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[1] Hebrews 2:17-18 That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, 18 he would have already experienced it all himself — all the pain, all the testing — and would be able to help where help was needed. (All verses from MSG unless otherwise noted.)
Hebrews 4:14-16 Now that we know what we have — Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God — let’s not let it slip through our fingers. 15 We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all — all but the sin. 16 So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

[2] John 3:16-18 This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son.   And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. 17 God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. 18 Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

[3] Matt 28:1-6 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. 2 Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. 3 Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. 4 The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.
5 The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. 6 He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.
Acts 1:9-11 These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. 10 They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared — in white robes! 11 They said, “You Galileans! — why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly — and mysteriously — as he left.”

[4] Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (New King James Version.)

[5] Luke 8:22-25 One day he and his disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” he said. And off they went. 23 It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. 24 They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Getting to his feet, he told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.
25 Then he said to his disciples, “Why can’t you trust me?”
They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, “Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!”

(MSG – THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)