The Baby in the Manger

      During the Christmas Eve service at our church tonight, Pastor said something that really hit me.  He said, "This Christmas, don't leave the baby in the manger."  I stopped to think about that for a minute.  It's an amazing thought to me that Jesus, who is God, would be born as a baby, but so often I forget that there is so much more to the story.  Yes, it is an amazing thing that He would come as a baby, but even more amazing is what He did for me.  He died.  For me.  I think sometimes I forget how important it is, and what a terrible sinner I am, and how completely undeserving I am. I grew up in a Christian home and was saved at the age of seven; so, I wasn't saved out of a life of terrible sin.  None the less, the truth is that I am in need of a savior just as much as someone who has done those things I like to think of as really bad sins. ANY sin will keep us from heaven no matter how seemingly big or small.  
    
      So thinking of the big picture, Jesus came to earth as a baby so that 33 years later He could die for our sins.  Christmas is more than just Jesus as a baby. It is the beginning of the story about how our savior came to earth to die so that we could live.  What a story!  And it gets even better because He didn't stay dead.  He is alive!  And the gift of eternal life that he came to earth to pay for is FREE to us.  All we have to do is accept that gift. Just thinking that the birth of the baby that we will celebrate tomorrow is just the beginning of the story really helps to put it into perspective.  


Here is a video I found that kinda goes along with this.
http://skitguys.com/videos/item/christmas-connection/