| Luke 1: 26-38 |
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Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor 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 forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. |
The True Meaning of Christmas
These verses capture the true meaning of Christmas. They tell of the angel Gabriel being sent from God to the city of Nazareth, appearing to Mary, and telling her ‘thou art highly favoured’; she will give birth to a son and call him Jesus, the Son of God.
After the probable shock of the news of becoming a parent, Mary must have been filled with overwhelming joy, love and gratitude. Those who have experienced becoming a parent or grandparent, or have been chosen to be a Godparent, will have shared this experience. We all know the true gift from God that children are, a blessing like no other.
On 25th December, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and it is a day where we focus on children. Sharing the fun and happiness of Christmas cheer and seeing children’s smiling faces is something that connects us all. So this Christmas let us say a special prayer for all the children of our own Church family, and around the world, that they will have a truly magical day; and they come to know the Lord God as their Father and the true meaning of Christmas!
Campbell and Alison