December 24 - Ephesians 2:4-5

December 24, 2025
December 24 - Ephesians 2:4-5

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

“But God...” Those two words changed everything!

Right there in Ephesians 2, Paul drops the most powerful plot twist in human history. You were spiritually flatlined—no pulse, no hope, dead in your rebellion. And that’s when His love moved heaven and earth for you!

God didn’t wait for you to clean yourself up or prove your worth. He chose to love you anyway. Not with a cautious, “let’s wait and see” kind of love. No—with a marvelous and merciful love that pursues you into your darkest places and breathes resurrection life into your lifeless soul. This same love that makes you alive with Christ is the love that sent Christ to you in the first place. The baby in Bethlehem’s manger is God’s love taking on flesh and bone, entering your broken world to rescue you from death.

Grace unearned, undeserved, and unstoppable—that’s the beating heart of Christmas. You can’t place it in a stocking. You can’t buy it in a store. You can’t wrap it up with a bow. You can only receive it with wonder and awe, opening your empty hands to the God who gives life to the dead.

As you celebrate Christmas tomorrow, remember this: every gift under the tree is merely an echo of the ultimate Gift. God’s great love doesn’t just warm your heart; it resurrects your soul! That’s the miracle you celebrate. Those two words (“But God…”) changed everything. How will you live, knowing that you’re loved like this?

Well, when I was in high school, I was running from God. And I mean, like, literally running down the hallway, uh, trying to escape a friend who honestly just wanted to talk about Jesus. And then I heard him shout 2 words. Hold on. And so I stopped. I turned around and everything changed. That friend who loved the Lord, he didn't give up on me. And I learned that from him that neither had the Lord. Well, in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 4, Paul writes another 2 words that changes everything. But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us. Even though we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ. Those 2 words remind me of my friend shouting down that hallway. That I was spiritually dead. We were spiritually dead, but God came chasing after us, entering our world. He pursued us with a merciful and marvelous love that breathes life into our souls. And when you think about that baby in Bethlehem's manger. That's God saying, hey, hold on. I'm coming after you. I'm coming to rescue you. I'm coming to redeem you. I'm coming to save you. And so as you celebrate Christmas tomorrow, tomorrow, remember, every gift under that tree is just an echo of the ultimate gift. That God doesn't just want to warm your heart. He wants to resurrect and revive your soul. So the question is this. How will you live? Knowing you're loved. Like this.