At Christmas - Made A Little Lower Than The Angels

"Today's Devotion" For December 28, 2005

Read: Hebrews 2:5-9; Psalm 8

AT CHRISTMAS - MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS

"Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." (Heb. 2:8b-9)

Have you ever been hungry or cold? Most likely all of us can answer such a question in the affirmative. Now, here's another question - Have you ever been homeless? There's a pretty good probability that most of us can't answer this question in the affirmative. That leads us into the third question - Have you ever been hungry, cold, and homeless all at the same time? Odds are that very few of us can answer that question affirmatively. The reality of life, however, is that there are a whole lot of people in the world, on our city streets, who are hungry, cold, and homeless. They have no families to care for them, nor people who love them and are concerned for their welfare.

While many people look down on such folks, most of those who are in such dire straits aren't "shiftless," "lazy," or "unwilling to work." According to statistics, a great many of those who are hungry, cold, and homeless are mentally or physically ill in some way. Yet, for most of us, relating to their needs and situation is really very difficult. If it weren't for the many public, church, and other faith-based shelters more people would die. At Christmas, those who are created by God to be a little lower than the angels, find themselves without anything except what they have on their backs. If not for the shelters, many of them wouldn't have had the opportunity for a hot meal on Christmas nor a warm, dry place to sleep.

Sadly, such situations exist for more people than we would dare imagine. In perhaps the most prosperous nation the world has every known, people live on the and die on the streets of our cities broken, penniless, helpless and hopeless. Of even greater sadness, especially to us as the people of God redeemed in Jesus Christ, is the reality that God created human beings to be a "little lower than the angels." The power of Sin is so pervasive in our lives that we often show little indication that we are, in fact, created by God to be a 'little lower than the angels." Too often we allow Sin to dictate our actions and behavior toward God, one another, and the creation God has placed in our hands as stewards. We act, because of the power of Sin in our lives, as if God is of no consequence and we are in control of our "destinies."

Because of the power of Sin in our lives, God sent Jesus, His One and Only Son, into the world to save us from our sins. In order to accomplish that purpose and mission, the Messiah, the Christ, came down in the form of a man called Jesus who, like us was made a "little lower than the angels" in order to enter into our lives, understand our needs, experience the same temptations we face, know our hunger (physical, mental, and spiritual), and appreciate our pain. He experienced all these things for us so that He might redeem us from the power of Sin that focuses our eyes on the bad things in life instead of on the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness of God. Because Jesus perfectly fulfills God's purpose for us, God has put "everything (in heaven and on earth) under His feet" (Heb. 2:8). He is our Lord; He is our Savior; He is our brother and our hope.

At Christmas we are reminded that Jesus came to earth as a man to save human beings from their Sin. At Christmas, we have again received God's assurance that He has subjected the whole of creation to Jesus, the Word made flesh. We're reminded in the writer to the Hebrews words of what John proclaims in his Gospel about Jesus - "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made" (Jn. 1:1, 3). He who created the heavens and the earth came to earth that first Christmas and made Himself a "little lower than the angels" - He became a human being. With great joy and filled with hope, we rejoice in each day of life, believing with all our hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He is our true and only Savior from Sin, and that through faith in Him - His gift to us - we have God's hope and peace in our hearts and lives. At Christmas, then, we give thanks that Jesus became one with us - being made a "little lower than the angels" - so that we might be saved in Him.

Prayer: Father, there is, perhaps, no more misunderstood or forgotten truth of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus than that He was made, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be just like me - "a little lower than the angels." You have put all things in all of creation under His feet to assure me that He has truly paid the price, once and for all time, for my sins and the sins of the whole world. You have put all things in all of creation under His feet to assure me that He, and through Him, You, truly understand the challenges of my life, the temptations I face, and the spiritual struggles that are part and parcel of my life as a sinner. Fill me with the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit that I may focus my attention on Jesus, following Him as He leads me to life with You and on the road to my heavenly home. Let Your grace, mercy, and love so fill my heart and life that I might live as one recreated in Christ Jesus to truly live as one made by You to be "a little lower than the angels." May such living and speaking on my part be an effective and powerful witness to others of Your love for them in Jesus so they, too, might believe in Him and be saved. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.