A "Captive" Audience

 The corona virus pandemic has certainly held the world hostage in 2020. Some may even say the virus has held us captive for a year. The after effects of being held in captivity can be devastating. The emotional and psychological damage can leave some people struggling to put their lives back together. Those who are resilient can move on with their lives while sadly others can feel there's no longer any reason to live and choose to end their lives. The Israelites knew what it felt like to live in captivity. For over 400 years, they were enslaved by the Egyptians until God sent them a deliverer in Moses. (Exodus 3) However, throughout the Old Testament, the Israelite people continued to experience various seasons of captivity related to their ongoing disobedience to God. At one point in time they were sent into exile under the Babylonians as a result of their failure to follow and worship the one true God.(Jeremiah 52) In Jesus day, the Israelites once again found themselves under oppression and captivity, this time from the Roman government. However, they had received deliverance by the hand of God many times in the past from their oppressors. Moreover, the Israelites had also been promised that one greater than Moses would one day overthrow their enemies once and for all. "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9 NIV)

"Holy Captivity"

 Ironically, the Christmas story is a story of captivity. The Son of God left eternity and became captive in time. He gave up the glories of heaven and became captive in a human body. He lived among His people and became captive to their suffering. He was nailed to a cross and became a captive of the sins of the world to save us. The world today remains captive to sin and its negative influence on our lives. However, the Christmas story continues to remind us that we don't have to remain prisoners to sin. "But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship...So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:4,7 NIV) So in essence we have become a "captive" audience. However, our captivity is not that which restricts us and holds us hostage but rather we have become captive to the awe and wonder of the greatest gift we could receive, a baby born into our world to save us from our sins. I encourage you this Christmas not to be a hopeless prisoner to a pandemic but a captive to hope. For hope has a name--Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Sheree