There were some heart-warming stories of the emergency services rescuing people from the floods which happened in our area in November. When disasters happen – be they fires, floods or sudden illness – we are very grateful for all who work to save and rescue, often risking their own lives to rescue us.
Our carol service this year is called ‘God’s Great Rescue Plan’, because Christmas is a story of rescue. We often don’t think of it this way, because we don’t really see the peril we’re in. We can be spiritually blind to our needs, thinking that life is simply about the here and now. But God’s word tells us that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23) and that we are dead in transgressions and sins (Eph 2:1). We’re in a desperate situation and we can’t get out of this mess by ourselves.
The blessing of Christmas is that God has sent us a Rescuer, a Saviour. The very name ‘Jesus’ tells us this: He was to be called Jesus ‘because he will save his people from their sins.’ (Matt 1:21) Every time we say that name, we are acknowledging the blessing of a Saviour!
