The Colors of Christmas

The meditation today comes from the New Testament, Revelation 7: 13-17. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

My hope is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my meditation today is "The Colors of Christmas." I read from Revelation 7: 13-17. All quotations are from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.


13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

     15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
       and serve him day and night in his Temple.
     And he who sits on the throne
       will give them shelter.
     16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
       hey will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
     17 For the Lamb on the throne
       will be their Shepherd.
     He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
       And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”


Did you know the colors of Christmas—red, green, white, and gold—tell the story of the redemption of humankind? Perhaps they have been hiding in plain sight all this time. Christians have been making connections between the gospel and these and other colors of Christmas for centuries since the beginning of celebrating the birth of Jesus. As we have just read, the elder tells the apostle John that the saints standing before the throne of God are clothed in robes made white by washing them in the blood of the Lamb. This powerful imagery is used only once, and it is here in the book of Revelation. The Scriptures tell us that the garment of a sinner is stained by breaking God's laws, and the only effective cleanser is the blood of Jesus. The red of Christmas represents the blood of Jesus. Isaiah the prophet tells us (Isaiah 1: 18), “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool." One of the lovely scenes of the season is snow falling on Christmas day, even if we have only seen it in movies or on postcards. The color white reminds us that through faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven. Our stained garments are made clean; they are white as snow. For green, we have to work just a little bit harder to make a connection. Green is the color of life we see in the black and white of winter. Eternal life is the promise we have from God for our faith in Jesus. Last, but not least, is the color gold. Gold has been treasured by humankind for all of time, and is a gift fit for a king. In gold, we recall the gift of God in sending Jesus to save us and the grace of God we receive through faith in Him. The elder delights to tell the apostle John the wonderful gifts God has planned for His sons and daughters. I hope that meditating on the colors of Christmas can be a source of joy for you during the Christmas season. As we partake of the bread and drink from cup today, let us remember Jesus and the price He paid for us. His story and our story are told in the colors of Christmas season. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. So many times, Abba, Father, the celebration of Christmas seems to supplant the true meaning of Christmas, a celebration to remember the birth of Your Son, Jesus. Help us to be still, Abba, Father, and appreciate the telling of the gospel in the colors of Christmas, a beautiful backdrop to the story of the birth of Jesus. Both stories are together in one place. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for the greatest gift, in sending Your Son Jesus to die for the sins of humankind. We remember by partaking of the bread and drinking wine from the cup just how He suffered for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."