Christmas message from a Freeport pastor
Rev. Phil Prestamo has pastored Cornerstone Church at 195 Pine Street for more than 20 years. Its former name was First Baptist Church of Freeport. Its name was changed to Cornerstone Church upon its 120th anniversary in May 2015. Its website is cornerstonefreeport.org.
The message of Christmas is a message of love from the very heart of God. The Apostle John put it this way in his gospel, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” (John 3:16). The birth of Jesus was a declaration of the greatness of God’s love for humanity. It was the supernatural God breaking into the natural world to display His love for one and all.
But it is also a message of redemption. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world, but the reason a savior was necessary was the human inclination to turn away from God and go our own way. Jesus wasn’t born in a palace, but in a stable. He didn’t come to lord it over humanity, but to lay down His life in service to humanity. He allowed His deity to be covered by human flesh and died as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
This requires a response of faith on our part. We give gifts at Christmas in imitation of the gift God has given to us of His Son. But His gift to us must be received in faith. That means we must recognize our need for Him and allow His Spirit to penetrate our hearts. As the hymn declares, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” If we open ourselves to Him in this way, we will find that the gift of a son on Christmas is only the beginning of all that God wants to do for us. As the passage from John continues, “…That whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” The benefits of that type of response to the coming of Jesus will stretch on forever and ever.
The beauty Christmas is that it is also a message of hope. God broke into our world one time, in order to provide for the redemption of humanity, but that doesn’t mean His love and care were only one-time events. In fact, His love and care are boundless. And while Jesus’ beginnings were in a humble stable, He lives now in glory and majesty at the right hand of God. Because He is exalted to glory, He is able to deal with whatever the struggles are that we might face in this life. Whether it is the ongoing Covid crisis, life controlling addictions, social justice issues, or the million other things we struggle with in this day and time, the baby in the manger is God’s message of hope to humanity. It is God providing for our greatest need, redemption, with the ongoing promise to provide for all our other needs as well. Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection are together God’s provision to heal and transform every struggle we face.
The message delivered to the shepherds when Jesus was born was, “Peace on earth, good will to all.” My wish for all of Freeport is that we might all know this love that gave so greatly, that we might have eternal life. And, as we experience His love that His peace will fill our hearts and transform our lives. God bless you all and Merry Christmas.
