Prophecies Fulfilled

During our services in December and over the Christmas period we are following the series 'Prophecies Fulfilled', thinking through the prophecies surrounding the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1-2.

A special offering for the Presbyterian Children's Society will be collected at the Carol Service and a special offering for the PCI World Development Appeal will be collected on Christmas Day.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11

This doesn't fit with traditional nativity plays, or the familiar scene on a Christmas card, but Bible scholars reckon that the Lord Jesus may have been anything up to two years old by the time the wise men came to Bethlehem. The Magi had to get ready to travel after they first saw the star arise. The journey itself probably took them months. It seems Joseph had moved his family into a house by then. He may well have started working in the little town (good handymen always are in demand!) and was in no rush away. The time there had marched on, and babies don't stay babies for ever.

We know how quickly time goes by. We now are in the month of December, looking towards the end of another year. If the Lord tarries, history will remember 2022 as the year Russia invaded Ukraine, and for the effect this had on fuel and food prices globally. Many will think of the last twelve months as a year that brought changes to their family circle. We, as a church, have rejoiced with those who welcomed new arrivals. As a church, we have mourned with those who mourned. We have seen changes around us too. Over the last weeks, we have watched as the remodelling of our meetinghouse annexe, and the replacement of the hall stage with a store, begin to take shape. Please continue to pray that this work may be completed swiftly, safely and successfully. Pray that the necessary finances will be provided for the project. And pray especially that, once the renovations are finished, our buildings may be used all the more for the work of the Kingdom and to the glory of God.

But the time is short. Some Christian traditions use this season of the year to reflect on 'Advent' - the promise of the coming of the Saviour. They think about how God promised and prepared the way for the first coming of His Son, and how the Lord Jesus will come again. As the days march on, the words of Arthur Campbell Ainger's hymn stay true: "God is working His purpose out, as year succeeds to year." All of us are like the wise men of the Christmas story. We are on a journey that will bring us, at the end, into the presence of Jesus. One day we will bow before Him, just as the wise men did in Bethlehem. The Magi then "were overjoyed ... and worshipped Him". May we have their spirit of holy reverence and heart-felt rejoicing when Christ shall come in glory, and we see the King.

The first Gospel celebrates these Magi from the east who came to look for the One born King. It is as if Matthew is saying, from the very outset, "Do you see how God graciously draws people from all sorts of backgrounds to His Son?" We still are in God's day of grace. He may not now set a star in the sky for people to follow, but He calls all who follow Him to shine like stars (Philippians 2:15) so that people may see where the Lord Jesus is to be found. When we meet together each Sunday we hear God's Word of grace and life, and the hope of our calling. God equips and encourages us by His Word so that we may know Christ and make Him known. If the Lord tarries and spares you to see a new year, and if He provides you with the health and strength to do so, make it your resolution to be present each week when our church family gathers, including on Tuesday evenings. And pray that God will continue to lead all sorts of people to find His Son, to put their faith in Him and follow Him

Of course, the Lord Jesus was not found where the Magi expected. The wise men went first to Herod in Jerusalem, but Christ was not born in a palace. As the missionary Frank Houghton put it, in his twentieth century Christmas Carol, He who "was rich beyond all splendour all for love's sake became so poor". The One the wise men had come to see had come to give something far greater than all the gifts they would present. He came to give us Himself, that we might have Him as our Lord and Saviour. The Lord Jesus came in humility. His love is such that He became poor. He laid down everything, even His life.
On Sunday 18th December, at 4.00pm, our church family Carol Service will celebrate this gift of love. Make a note of the date and time. Join in our thanksgiving then - and in our Christmas Day Service at 10.30am on Sunday 25th.

The Bible scholars who have researched the visit of the wise men comment on one thing more. They write, of course, about the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and how much these gifts would have cost. They then discuss what may have happened to these presents. The scholars reckon that the gifts came in useful. God, through a dream, warned Joseph to flee because Herod planned to kill the Child. Having stayed for a while in Bethlehem, he and Mary now had to go, as refugees, even further from their Nazareth home. It is likely that the wise men's gifts were used to fund their time in Egypt.

That insight is important for us these days. God saw what Joseph and Mary would face, and provided for them in a way they never could have foreseen. The Magi came to Bethlehem, guided by the star. The wise men gladly and freely presented their gifts there, at the precise time those gifts were needed. Through this visit, Joseph and Mary discovered a truth the Lord Jesus later memorably would teach: "your heavenly Father knows what you need" (Matthew 6:32).

As we come to the end of 2022, we hold to that truth. We look back to how the Lord has provided for us as a church in the years past. We gratefully acknowledge each joyful gift and faithful offering presented before the Lord in worship. Through these, He has supplied our need. We know, however, that costs have increased significantly in the last few months. Pray that yet again we may see God's goodness to us. Pray that we may enter 2023 confident in God's care. Pray that in these uncertain days, each home connected to our church family may rest in the love of our Father in heaven.

The Magi came from afar and saw Jesus. Our prayer is that one and all may see the Lord Jesus Christ this Christmas and, like the wise men, bring their worship to the Prince of peace, Saviour, Lord and King.

Print