“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. … For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…” ~Isaiah 9:2,6a
“For us and our salvation He came down from heaven… For our sake he was crucified…” ~The Nicene Creed
Have you ever noticed an Eastern Orthodox icon depicting the birth of Jesus? It can be a little disconcerting, instead of swaddling clothes the baby Jesus is wrapped in a way similar to an Egyptian mummy and in place of a manger he is shown lain in a casket. Why? Because he was born to die. Death wasn’t a part of the original creation. You and I and everyone else who lives, will live or ever has lived were meant to never face death. We face death because of Adam’s sin. Jesus was born to face death to free us from the curse of Adam’s sin. He was born shadowed by a cross because you and I were born shadowed by death. This night we celebrate the gift of a son, born to die so that we may be delivered from the shadow of death. We will remember the crucifixion and His sacrifice at the table in the Eucharist, and we will, “celebrate the memorial of our redemption.” All because we have seen a great light and been delivered from the darkness of sin’s curse.
Billy Wint
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