Christmas Cantata

Invitation

John 1:1–4 KJV 1900

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Christmas is all about what we call the incarnation of Jesus Christ. This means that God took on flesh and became a man. The baby we see in a manger is God Himself. But why would He become a man? Tonight I will be answering that in more detail, but the simple answer is that Jesus came to die for our sins. That baby didn’t come just to teach us how to live right, although he did do that. That baby didn’t just come to make us feel good about ourselves. He wasn’t just a good teacher, but that baby became a man and 2000 years ago was taken by cruel hands and hung on a cross to die. For most of us that would have been the end of the story. And yet for all of us death isn’t the end of our story; we will live somewhere forever. Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Think about your life. Have you lived a perfect life without sin? And yet we will face a judgment. When those Romans and those Jews crusified Jesus death was not the end for Him either. Jesus was buried for three days, but came back to life on the third day, conquering death. Because Jesus died on our behalf, we can have forgiveness of our sins and a home in heaven. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

So why was Jesus born in a manger 2000 years ago? Jesus was born to die for us and this has been the message of this cantata. In a moment we are going to have a time of invitation, if you are not a Christian, you have not had your sins forgiven; please come down while the piano plays and we will have someone show you how you can have your sins forgiven and a home in heaven.