Jesus is superior.

Published: Jan. 1, 2017, 10 a.m.

If it seems like Christmas only creates extra burdens in your life, that isn't by design. When God's prophet Isaiah spoke about the birth of Jesus, he said, "You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders." Today we see that Jesus came to shatter the burden of self-defense. By nature we all want to be our own defense attorneys. We want to be able to explain and justify our behavior in the eyes of God and in the eyes of others. God’s Son has shattered that burden. He was given the name Jesus, meaning “he saves.” Because of Jesus work of salvation in our place and on our behalf, we need not worry about defending our name before God. Jesus has earned a perfect reputation before God—and one that is ours through faith in him.