The Unexpected Christmas
I love Christmas traditions! For us as a family one of those is collecting the Christmas tree. Each year the whole family loves to go to a local garden centre to select that Norwegian pine. After much debate and comparing one tree with another we make our decision, bag it up and bring it home. Then I put the lights on and leave our children (all now young adults) to do the rest accompanied by the Christmas hits playlist. Its great fun!
Some 2000 years ago the first Christmas was very different, in fact it was all quite unexpected! Mary was told by an angel that she was pregnant, and her partner Joseph nearly left her because of it. An angel visited him as well to explain what was going on and so he stayed and cared for Mary. They had to travel to Bethlehem for the Roman census and whilst there this ‘supernatural’ child was born. There was no hospital with expert medical professionals, but instead their maternity suite was with a few animals in some kind of barn.
More angels freighted the life out of some local shepherds as they spectacularly informed them of the birth of this child! A new star in the night sky caused eastern astrologers to travel to Israel, in search of new born king.
These series of unexpected events happened because this baby was no ordinary child. The God who created the universe had sent his Son, Jesus, to earth for an important task. The Bible puts it like this...
“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.”
I believe the greatest gift the world has ever known is Jesus! He offers new and eternal life to all who call on him. Whatever you are doing this Christmas; if you are with family and friends or alone; if you are on holiday or working; if you love or hate this time of year I pray that something unexpected will happen...that you will discover Jesus! Merry Christmas!
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader