No Longer Slaves
First Sunday of Christmas
December 28, 2025 8:00 am
Scripture
Galatians 4:4-7
Meditation
Joseph, the dreamer, was sold into slavery by his older brothers. What his siblings meant for evil, God used for good. God’s protective hand was with Joseph during times of hardship and uncertainty, eventually elevating him to a position of authority, second only to Pharaoh. God ultimately used Joseph to save an entire nation from famine. Freedom quickly slips away and slavery takes its place when fear enters the hearts of those who rule. God’s chosen people were enslaved for over 400 years until the time of Moses. By Divine design and perfect timing, God leads His people out of the bondage of slavery into the Promised Land.
I find it interesting that after Jesus was born, in the time of Herod the King, God uses a dream to warn a new father, Joseph, to flee from the Promised Land. Jesus breaks the cycle of sin. Instead of escaping Egypt into the Promised Land, He leaves the land promised and goes into exile in Egypt in order to save the world.
Freedom and slavery so often hang in a delicate balance, destined to repeat themselves until Jesus steps in to break the destructive pattern. We are no longer slaves to sin because Jesus frees us from the grip of sin, death, and the devil by His death and resurrection. Only Jesus willingly retraces the steps of a broken humanity and righteously fulfills that which we can not. We are no longer slaves because Jesus sets us free.
Prayer
Holy Lord, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We glorify You today because of Your saving grace. If left to ourselves, we would be destined to repeat our history of death and destruction, being enslaved by our sins. But You are our Emmanuel! You are with us. You became one of us. You save us from our sins. Thank You Jesus! Amen.