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--- jn_en_2021_12_24 [2021/12/24 12:59] – potthast
+++ jn_en_2021_12_24 [2021/12/24 13:56] (current) – potthast
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-[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/jn_de_2021_12_15|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_ix|| Themen Kollektion ix ]]
+[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/jn_de_2021_12_24|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_ix|| Themen Kollektion ix ]]
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 Friday,  Dec 24, 2021. It is Christmas again. We write the year 2021 of our time recording. What is important this year, what is important to you? We all live in the middle of a world wide pandemic, influencing strongly our life, our fears, our discussions, even our celebrations. Do you celebrate Christmas? Do you celebrate the new year 2022?
-Let us think about Jesus birth in three steps: history, message and what happened after it.
+Let us think about Jesus birth in three steps: history, message and meaning.
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 Here we hear already the Christmas message: Jesus is messiah and Lord. He is God himself, coming into the world. This is the old and fascinating story. The true God is coming, he became human, fully human.
-The Christmas message was coined in a time where the Roman emperors started to develop ambitions to be treated like Gods. Julius Caesar, 100 BC to 44 BC was called "son of the divine". So the early Christians had clear templated of humans who claimed to come from God, to be his sons. The Christians rejected the claim of the Roman emperors. They strongly rejected it and were willing to die for their divine son, Jesus.
+The Christmas message was coined in a time where the Roman emperors started to develop ambitions to be treated like Gods. Julius Caesar, 100 BC to 44 BC was called "son of the divine". So the early Christians had clear templated of humans who claimed to come from God, to be his sons. The Christians rejected the claim of the Roman emperors. They strongly rejected it and were willing to die for their divine son, Jesus. Jesus is claimed to be different to others, to all the leaders and emperors. Look at him - this is what Christians have been telling people. Listen to him, and understand! Look at him, and see!
 What is the truth and fact behind the Christmas story. People have been exploring the biblical texts as well as historical accounts on the time of Jesus, on the Old Testament and the New Testament. Until today, the struggle for truth continues, with some theologians claiming that it is all myth only, with others finding very convincing arguments for the reality of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection.
+The meaning of the Christmas story is strongly linked to basic human questions. Who am I? Where do I go? What can I expect? What is the purpose and goal of my life? God is answering it through Jesus, by becoming a baby, a little child, in very unfortunate circumstances. God is born in a stable - this is one of the strongest arguments in favour of the truth of the Christian story. God created everything. When trying to guide and lead it, he is going right into the middle of his creation. He is not coming to the easy parts only. He is not following ideology, nor some religious system, not going into the palaces and not by physical force. He is teaching in easy images, talking to everyone, building relationships. He honors life as he created it.
+Purpose is coming from love and purity of the heart. To find yourself, to find your purpose, you need to discover the baby in the stable. To gain a future, you need to gain the past and presence, his life yesterday and today. You need his life, his death, his resurrection, his forgiveness. You need his purpose. God alone gives meaning to us, eternal meaning, eternal life!
 (Roland Potthast)