Last Sunday, the Sunday school put on their Christmas program. It was wonderful. Some of our developmentally disabled adults were angels, others were sheep, Joe Tella played Joseph and Lori Kissinger was beside herself to be Mary. The children from the Sunday school classes filled in as shepherds and wise men, and Michaela was the angel who brought the good news to the shepherds who were watching their flocks in the fields nearby.

It was, of course, a wonderful program. There was a line in the program that led into my abbreviated sermon. The shepherds, when introduced with the line, “and there were shepherds watching their flocks in the fields nearby,” broke into a chant, and were walk’in with style and attitude saying, “We are the shepherds the mighty, mighty shepherds; everywhere we go people wan’na know, who we are, so we tell them, ‘We are the shepherds the mighty, mighty shepherds’.” If you have been to a high school sporting event in the last thirty years you probably know the rhythm of that chant. (If you don’t, you may need to get out more.) Anyway, the point that I keyed in on for my sermon was the walk.

In today’s lessons, we heard that the people were gathering down by the Jordan River. They came with all kinds of walks: there were those like the shepherds in our program- they walked with attitude. Some came with a self-righteous attitude- their nose up in the air. Some came because they were curious about John the Baptizer- this wild-eyed man who was out in the desert regions preaching a message of repentance. Others came with heavy hearts for their lives were run amuck with sin. Some were tax-collectors who had lined their own pockets by overcharging people; others were soldiers who had padded their pay through corruption, still others came knowing they had been indifferent to the things of God and others knew whether anyone else did or not that they had been indifferent to the needs of their neighbors, and there those who just came for the show. Each had their own kind of walk…What is our walk? How do we often walk? Proud and self-righteous, humble and broken - knowing we have much to repent of, are we indifferent or uncertain? So, what is our walk?

It is about walks that I want to talk to you about today. Someone else came to take a walk, and that someone was Jesus. He was and is the King of Creation who until not too long ago walked the streets of heaven. There He was worshipped. He had come to walk the walk of the long promised and awaited Savior.

He would along the seashore quietly and humbly teaching the people about the things of God. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn over their sins for they will be comforted. He would walk with beggars and lepers passing by palaces. And people came bringing with them those who were sick and in need. He touched them and healed them which gave them a new walk. Many left praising Him. His words gave light too many who had stumbled for too long in the darkness.

The messages that He preached would bring scorn from many and rejection by others. And they took up stones against Him and plotted against Him. Many followed Him for only a brief time. Soon they turned to follow and to search out a path built on striving to keep the Law ignoring the warning that if they stumbled at one point their walk would lead to destruction.

Most importantly, Jesus took a walk on our behalf, a walk in our place. He took a walk that we rightfully should have taken- He took a walk to the cross. There the full wrath of God against sin would be poured out on Him in full measure. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5.21) He died for all our sins- He died for all the wrong and sinful places we have walked in person and even in our thoughts. He died for all the places we should have gone to help others and did not. He fought His way to the cross for us that our sins would be and are forgiven, and they carried Him to a tomb and He was buried.

However, His walk did not end there!!! Three days later He rose, just as He said He would. He rose up and walked out of the tomb with the promise that all who would believe in him will not perish but have eternal life. He gave to all who would believe a walk filled with hope, a hope resting on the forgiveness of sins. Where there is forgiveness of sins there is life and salvation! As the prophet Zephaniah declared, Rejoice with all your heart …The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy… He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

He put a new song in our mouths: “We are the Christians, the truly redeemed Christians; everywhere we go people wan’na know whose we are so we tell them, “We the Christians the wonderfully….. wonderfully….. redeemed….. Christians.”

God keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.