‘As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God’. (Psalm 42:1)“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:9–10 NIV)
Christmas is all about timing. Festive music in the supermarkets from late November seems too early; rushing around on the 24th of December for the present you forgot seems too late. Will those Christmas cards sent to Australia arrive in time? If you are travelling to be at home for Christmas, will you get there on time? Then there’s the Christmas dinner. Will the turkey be ready before the Queen’s message? Have the brussels sprouts been left on too long? How many hours does it take for a Christmas pudding to simmer? Time after time Christmas brings us timing issues.
Interestingly, the Bible tells us “when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman” (Galatians 4:4 The Message)
. Ultimately, for the Christian, Christmas isn’t about the presents, the cards or the dinner; it’s about the time when God came to be with us (Matthew 1:23)
in order to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21)
.
If you feel that Christmas is just a hectic round of trying to get everything done on time, why not take some time to explore the Christian claims about Jesus? It will be time well spent, and you might just find that it is his coming into the world that makes this the most wonderful time of the year.
Prayer
Help us not to be distracted by all the things that take our time, but to focus on our Saviour, Jesus Christ in whose name we pray.
Amen
I hope you have a good time this Christmas.
Pastor Barry
