In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ~Luke 1:26,27
There has been much to take in and absorb these past two weeks as Pastor has been preaching through the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. There have been angelic visitations, messages from God, a barren couple conceiving in their old age, a young virgin girl overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceiving a child as well.
Then there is the divine timing of schedules and lives; all of this so the Son of God, who is Creator himself, could be clothed with human flesh and be born to a nobody couple from a nowhere village to save people from their sin and reign over the universe as King forever and ever. It has been overwhelming and as I said, a lot to take in. I believe the key to it all can be found in verse thirty-seven of this chapter…
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” ~Luke 1:37
At just the right time in history and after all the pieces were exactly in place, God sent forth His Son to be born of a woman and under the Law. The details and alignment of circumstances for this event are staggering. The complexities and impossibilities overcome were miraculous. Yet, as God promised in the Garden of Eden after the fall of the man and woman, the Messiah would be coming and that time would be now. He would be preceded by a son miraculously conceived and born to an aged and barren couple then be born to a young virgin girl who was betrothed to a man descended from King David. It would seem, as the angel Gabriel said, “nothing will be impossible with God.”
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” ~Luke 1:76-79
At the divinely appointed birth of John the Baptist, his father Zechariah had much to say. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesying, he gives us the reason we should be celebrating Christmas… even now amidst the dark and evil headlines of today. Pastor mentioned last Sunday the victims of the shooting in Connecticut last week and how we need to be in prayer for them. These are indeed dark days for the families affected by another senseless slaughter. Is Christmas ruined for those who are grieving the death of their loved ones this season? No one would argue that the friends and families of the slain in Newtown are described by Zechariah as “those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.” But the truth is all of us sit in a world of darkness and are ever overshadowed by the inevitable prospect of death. For those who have ears to hear what Zechariah is saying, Christmas isn’t ruined by evil events such as this one; rather it is all the more glorius!
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ~Matthew 2:16
After the birth of Jesus, the wicked king Herod killed all the children aged two years and under in and around Bethlehem. Humanity has ever been afflicted with pain, suffering, and violent tragic death. This is why Christmas can never be ruined by dark headlines or evil acts of violence. The purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the arrival of the One who would rescue us from these sorts of things and the greatest killer and enemy of us all… our own sin.
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ~Matthew 1:21