Trapped in our dungeons

Read Isaiah 61:1-4 December can get pretty gloomy. The sun sets earlier each day and the darkness stretches longer every night. All that darkness can play with our minds, giving us a depressed, hopeless feeling like we are locked in a dungeon. The problems we experience in our lives can do the same. Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck and having to figure out how to add Christmas presents and a trip back home without sinking the ship is no small feat. Maybe you face a marriage or close friendship that is on the rocks and know that anything you say can and will be used against you. Perhaps your health problems are getting worse without any end in sight. Maybe you struggle against a guilty conscience that won’t let you rest. Or maybe you are drowning in grief from a loved one’s death. That’s the amazing thing about Christmas; God’s Son didn’t run away from our problems. He was willing to dive right into the darkness of our world. He healed the sick, fed the hungry and showed His power over demons, storms and death itself. Though totally innocent He allowed Himself to be arrested, put in chains and condemned to death on a cross for us. Being sinless, He took all our sins upon Himself and suffered the punishment we deserve. By His death our Savior demolished the dungeon of sin and by His glorious resurrection He threw the doors wide open. He comes to us today to shine His light and guide us into His perfect freedom and peace.]]>