Jesus is the Saviour
Israel repeatedly prayed to God for salvation. When Jesus was born the angel promised Mary that her Son would be the Saviour of the world, a message given also to the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem on the night of his birth. His name Jesus actually means, ‘God saves.’ But from what does he save us?
Principally, Jesus saves us from sin and death. Sin is selfish egoism and death is our common human lot. Jesus promises that even though we die physically we will not die eternally if we hold on to him in faith and love. His Gospel (Good News) is a message of everlasting life with God. That life is offered to everyone because God loves everyone equally.
Above is an ancient Christian monogram. Within a shining sun we see the Latin letters, ‘IHS’ (‘Jesus, Saviour of Humans’), with the cross and three nails.
Collect
God of our pilgrimage,
you have led us to the living water:
refresh and sustain us
as we go forward on our journey,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen