OVER THE TOP?

Angel Gabriel visiting Mary; a virgin birth; a multitude of angels visiting shepherds; prophetic statements, mysterious wise men from the east...

It seems that the Christmas story comes with a lot of baggage which we in the West find hard to believe. Last Christmas even the Archbishop of Canterbury was reported to have said that he didn't believe in the visit of the magi to the infant Jesus. To be fair, we live in a society that has long since stopped believing in miracles, and that makes much of the Christmas story pretty hard to swallow.

A better way of looking at it however, is to see that these events are so extraordinary that they make us sit up and take notice of what really happened that first Christmas. Whatever it was, it must have been big to deserve this kind of fanfare.

In other words, the angels Gabriel, the experience of the shepherds and the wise men are the supporting acts. Their job is to highlight how great the main event is. The coming of Christ into the world is so astonishing it deserves a fanfare of nothing less than angels and miracles.

So what is so amazing about the birth of Jesus? The Bible tells us when it describes that first Christmas in this way: "The Father has sent his Son to be the saviour of the World". The Father here is God the Father, and we are being told that he sent the Son, who is also God, on a mission.

That mission meant that the Son of God came to our world that first Christmas in Bethlehem. And he came to save it.

The truth is that unless Jesus had been born, not one of us would have any hope of avoiding God's judgement. We are all guilty of sin, and, because of this, we all deserve everlasting punishment.

But Jesus was born, and his mission meant that he was born to die. When he was dying on the cross, he chose to take the blame for the sin of many people on himself. Not only that, but he also willingly accepted the punishment which their sin deserved. He experienced that everlasting punishment condensed and concentrated into those hours he suffered on the cross so that everyone who believes in him will escape God's judgement.

But his mission did not stop there. Not only did he bring peace with God, but his death also means that everyone who believes in him will become children of God and can count on God's infinite love for all eternity.

For this reason, his birth really was a huge event, and it deserved the fanfare that it got from the angels, the shepherds and the wise men.

The question is, how will the truth behind his birth be received by us this Christmas? God, in the Bible, urges us to acknowledge the seriousness of our guilt and entrust ourselves to the Saviour he has sent into the world.

Carmel Chapel

Commercial St, Blaenllechau

Christmas Services

Sunday 21st December

10:30 am    Morning Worship

   
6:00 pm    Carol Service

Christmas Day

10:00 am    Christmas Service