Merry Christmas (it’s still Christmas, based on the Liturgical calendar).
This morning, Alpha Lim preached a sermon based on this week’s New Testament reading in Hebrews 2:10-18:
God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.”He also said,
“I will put my trust in him,”
that is, “I and the children God has given me.”Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had[d] the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
He talked about how we are all bound to slavery – defined as being forced and under compulsion, against our will. At Christmas, God became human in Jesus – Emmanuel, God with us – and saved us from slavery. All this, with a heavy dose of allusions to Star Wars.
(Yes, he actually used this picture…)
