Leaping Like a Calf at The Christmas Sunrise

Church Family:  Sunrises seem to make all things new. The sunrise declares "here comes a fresh new day." The colors are new every morning. Every second of the hour before sunrise brings another color into focus. The sunrise brings forth heat and light to bring growth and warmth to all of creation. The sunrise brings light to reveal what was hidden in the darkness just moments before. The sunrise reveals the truth of the terrain so that you can move around with confidence. In Zechariah's prophecy, after his tongue was loosed and being filled with the Holy Spirit, he describes Jesus’ coming in the flesh on that first Christmas as “the sunrise that has visited us from on high” (Luke 1:78). Zechariah had taken what God had said 450 years prior to Malachi about the coming Messiah and declared that prophecy was filled in Jesus, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall" (Mal. 4:2)

God loves to give us everyday pictures of reminders of who He is and how He works. The Son of God’s coming that first Christmas is like a sunrise of righteousness over a land of complete darkness to establish His fellowship with us who live in darkness. God who is complete light, having no darkness at all (1 John 1:5) came to shine into darkness the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). That is what we celebrate at Christmas. The Sunrise of God’s righteousness has come and He has a name, Jesus Christ, the Savior, born in the city of David wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:11-12). What an amazing gift of God's hospitality.

God's story of the coming Sunrise of righteousness did not begin with a baby in a manger and it does not end there either. The Sun of righteousness, Jesus Christ, is not a one advent Savior. He has come with "healing in His wings." He will release you from captivity of sin bringing you joy as a "calf leaves a stall and starts leaping for joy." Yes, Jesus has brought healing now but we also look at the guaranteed complete healing that will come at His second coming, the second advent, when the final promise of no more death and no more disease will be fully realized. Let His first coming create "leaping calf like joy" knowing that He is coming again with complete healing of all creation. Jesus, the Sunrise of righteousness has indeed shone forth and will once again completely come again making all things new just as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow morning. That truth should bring calf leaping kind of joy to you this Christmas and every other day as well.

See you Sunday, loving the Sunrise from on High: Steve