He Came to Save
‘She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins’
(Matthew 1:21)
In the Old Testament language of Hebrew, ‘Jesus’ was ‘Joshua’, a word meaning ‘Saviour’ and reminiscent,
of course, of the great leader called Joshua and described in the book that bears his name.
Thus, Jesus is the Lord who is the Saviour. But his task was even more important than that of leading
the people into the Promised Land. It was ‘to save his people from their sins’.
We deserve nothing but condemnation and judgement on our sins. But in his mercy and grace,
though Jesus and his death on the cross, the Lord brought about the forgiveness
of our sins and eternal safety. We can never cease to be grateful for what he has done for us.
Question for thought: Is Jesus my Lord and my Saviour?
Almighty God, we pray for the Anglican Church worldwide and particularly the Archbishops,
Bishops and Clergy that they will uphold your Word and lead with faithfulness, justice and mercy.
We particularly pray for those nations where there is conflict and persecution of believers
that you will give them courage and steadfastness. Amen.