Page 15 - Herald December 2024

DECEMBER 2024
THE NEW COUNTESTHORPE HERALD 15
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE CHURCHES
CHRISTMAS UNWRAPPED
A Christmas tradition in our family is to place all the presents to one another under the Christmas tree early in December. They are supposed to remain there unopened till Christmas Day. The problem of course is that our children always tried to see what was under the wrapping before the big day. Now I am no detective, but it was obvious the presents had been moved, shaken, wrapping paper ripped, Sellotape peeled and re-stuck. Who could blame them! As parents we simply chuckled. After all it is a long time to wait for a child from the 1st to the 25th of December.
I mention this because it reminds me of the first Christmas gift which was initially promised in eternity past before the beginning of Creation and then took four thousand years to arrive and unwrap, from Creation to Christ and from Christ to the Cross, but all the while we got glimpses underneath the wrapping.
At the beginning of Creation for instance, when our human ancestors fell into that original sin, as a consequence, corruption, death and Satan came into the world, and all are sinners by nature. Even then God promised to reverse the effects of sin’s curse. God promised an offspring born of a woman to crush Satan’s head and deal
with the curse of sin, and make a new Creation. This is the proto evangelion - simply put, God’s plan of salvation.
Gen 3:15: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Fast forward over 3,000 years through Patriarchs like Abraham, Moses, and Israel’s Kings like David, who received covenants embodied within which was the promised seed, but also, we have a prophet in Israel by the name of Isaiah, who lived in the 7th century BC who gives us another future glimpse underneath the wrapping.
Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Here we see a sign given, of a unique conception, a virgin giving birth, a child born unlike us in Adam, being both human and divine, who would be called Immanuel, which in Hebrew means ‘God with us’. So we have another glimpse underneath the wrapping of this future gift to the world. Isaiah further declares this truth in
Isaiah 9:6: For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given; and the govern- ment shall be upon his shoulders,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Fast forward another seven hundred years during the Pax Romana and we get closer to the big day. It was in the town of Nazareth in Israel that the angel of the Lord told Mary magnificent news,
affirming what had already been spoken by the prophet.
Luke 1:30-33: And the angel said
to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the House of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Nine months later in the town of Bethlehem, as prophesied by the prophet Micah, Mary gave birth to the promised child, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes, who was called Jesus and from the line of David, and so this once hidden gift to the world was now being unwrapped to the world.
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Angels announced it first to Shepherds, who went out afterwards to share the good news with the world.
Luke 2:10-11: 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will
be for all the people. 11 For unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”
Magi from the East, who were searching for him, unwrap him and, filled with joy, they worship him and return to Babylon, declaring this good news.
Matthew 2:10-11: 10 When they saw
the star, they rejoiced exceedingly
with great joy. 11 And going into the
house they saw the child with Mary
his mother, and they fell down and
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