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| Christmas - the Birth of Jesus Watercolour 7 x 10 25/12/15 30 minutes |
The main accounts of Jesus' birth in the New Testament is set out in Matthew and Luke; I've reproduced the account in Luke 2:1-20 (NIV) as follows:
"The Birth of Jesus
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."
The following separately sets out the extracts on Jesus's birth from Matthew 1:18-25 KJV:
"18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus."
My reflections on the above extracts this Christmas is as follows:
- The Miracle of Christmas. Christmas is a true miracle. It is a reminder that nothing is impossible with God. The very birth of Jesus through virgin Mary is symbolic of this. As Jesus came as a perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins, in order for Him to be truly free from the curse of Adam and Eve (who had fallen and had a sinful nature within them and their descendants), He came down as the son of God, reborn from the Holy Ghost, fully Man at the same time, into our world to free us from our slavery to sin. The salvation of Mankind is a huge miracle, a gift that was difficult to comprehend, and now that we have been blessed by the benefit of God's wisdom set out in the Bible, we should love and appreciate this free gift and glorious miracle which changes and reforms lives, and pray for continued love, faith, wisdom and strength of character to be able to live out a life that is transformed and pleasing to God!
- Trust in the Lord. It is difficult to fully understand and comprehend God's plans at all times. But we need to constantly pray for faith to be able to be obedient to His commands. A great illustration is the testimony of Mary and Joseph through this. During their time, it was unheard of for a virgin to be pregnant. For Mary to have accepted this pregnancy obediently (she would surely have been subject to much gossip), and for Joseph to have accepted the truth and Mary as his wife, was a huge act of faith. Furthermore, they were called away from their home through the census, had to travel miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem (during Mary's pregnancy), and had to dwell in Bethlehem without good accommodation. This was not a smooth and effortless journey, but one which required much trust, faith and obedience. May we continually pray for faith through the trying periods of our lives so that we can be obedient to God's perfect plans!
- The Humility of Christ's Birth. Christ had a humble birth. He came into a world where there was no room for him. He was born and placed in a manger because there were no guest rooms available at the inns. He was visited by shepherds, and subsequently some wise men, not the kings of the land. He was not born in a palace, and although He was the greatest king, He did not have a luxurious life. This is not what we, in our prideful and fallen world, are used to. We are often taught from young to crave and respect and worship power characterised by strength, worldliness and abundance, not to be servant leaders as Christ Himself was. But He came to serve us and not to be served, and Christmas is a great reminder to realign our lives and principles towards being humble servant-leaders, just as Christ himself was from the very moment of His birth.
- God's Timely Plans. Luke sets out the account of God's timeliness of events. The timing of the census, the hard heart of Herod and his evilness, and the messages sent to Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men through the angels, all enabled the prophecies set out in the Old Testament to be met and fulfilled in their own time. This is a reminder that we should always focus on God's perfect timing, not our own, as His plans are greater than our comprehension and He knows far better what is the best for us. This may be trying and difficult but may we always look to God for the faith to trust and obey and believe.
- The Heart of God's Plans. The heart of God's plans through Christ is salvation through His perfect sacrifice and example, and this is a beautiful gift that we often do not appreciate enough. We often do not know what it means for Christ to have come fully as Man, to have been rejected and despised by His creation. Coming down to earth is an act of true sacrifice and vulnerability which was founded in love; He allowed Himself to serve us fully and be hurt by us, and is fully able to completely empathise with us in each moment of rejection and darkness. Yet we often turn away from Him and indulge in our senseless worldly pleasures and sins. This is something that hurts Him greatly, and out of love and appreciation for His gift, we should avoid such sinful behaviour and look towards Him in thanksgiving and love instead.
- Worship Christ & Spread the Good News. The birth of Christ is a glorious event. The Lord called to the shepherds to this event; angels were signing of the glories of His birth and the shepherds later went on to spread the good news. For this is good news; we have been saved through His precious sacrifice! Thus we should work to spread the good news to the people around us!
- Make Room in Our Hearts for God. In this fallen world, Christmas is often an over-commercialised event; coupled with the bonus season, it is often a time of endless extravagance and gifts that focus on self and loved ones, but not enough on God (if at all). But we should not be intoxicated by possessions (or distracted by worldly things) - rather, we should intoxicate ourselves in Christ's presence and shower the world around us with the same type of love which Christ gave - love founded on compassion, empathy, mercy and justice.
