Pastor's Column 12/22/2024 - Pre-Nativity Sunday

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him smugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manager, because there was no lodging available to them. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. “Don’t be afraid! He said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – was born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manager… They [Shepherds] hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby lying in the manager. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the Shepherds’ story were astonished!”

Luke 2:6-8; 16-18, NLT    

 “When The Time Comes!”   

Few things in life are more eventful than the “time” of birth. This moment becomes epic, because it signals the emergence and miracle of a life, which is ordained by God. Our place and sojourn on this earth is marked by birth and death. Birth is the door that opens to time, meaning, and purpose in each person’s life. It is then, no mystery why God “sent” His son to be born. Paul realizing the divine importance of the Messiah’s coming to earth, told early Christians: “… But  when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law [of Moses]. God sent Him to buy freedom for us so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts…”  (Galatians 4:4-6a, NLT). Paul could not resist the temptation to remind Christians that “God’s timing” is greater than any date we could ever acknowledge on a calendar. Our significant dates are important reminders of  God’s redemptive work in history. Both Luke and Paul help us understand that God’s timing is the fulfillment of divine anticipation and expectation. While Mary and Joseph were sequestered in a narrow stable carved from the inside of a cave, the time came for Jesus, the Messiah to be born. True to prophecy – defying doubts, Jesus came in God’s divine time!