This weekend promises to be another busy one as Christmas is fast approaching!

On Thursday 15th December at 7:30 p.m., we have our final Bible study of the year. We have reached the end of our studies on 1 Corinthians and will be reviewing all we’ve learned from this long letter. Please have a look back over the 16 chapters and reflect on all we have discussed and come along prepared to share what God has said to you through this intensely spiritual and practical letter. What has God lit up for you? How has He challenged you? What do we do differently as a result of our studies? We’ll also be looking ahead to future Bible studies, so please let us know your thoughts about this too.

On Friday 16th December at 12 noon, the Salvation Army is hosting a Christmas buffet to which we are all invited (in their building on Straight Lane). We are thrilled that the good relationship we have with local churches continues and are looking forward to helping wrap presents and prepare food parcels next Tuesday (20th December, 9 a.m. – 12 noon). In the meantime, come along to share with God’s people and see how our support of the food bank has helped so many local families throughout the year.

On Saturday 17th December, we have our coffee morning as usual (10 a.m. – 12 noon) and immediately after that, will be giving out invitations to the carol service, posting these through letterboxes and giving them out to local people. Please come along to church to help with this. At 1.30 p.m., those of us who are going to the pantomime will be leaving church to walk down to Dearne Playhouse to see ‘Cinderella.’ Please pray for all the children from the Monday Night Youth who are coming with us (22 of them!), for safety, protection and a fun-filled afternoon!

On Sunday 18th December, the communion service in the morning starts at 10.30 a.m. and our carol service will be at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served after the evening service, so please bring along mince pies, Christmas cake, chocolate logs and any other tasty things for us to share!

Please pray for all these events: for good conversations about Christ everywhere we go, for courage and boldness to invite our friends, family and neighbours to church services and most of all for God to be glorified in all we do and for people to find salvation and new birth in Him.

Dave spoke this evening from Gal 4:4-5, reminding us that God’s timing is always perfect. He is never late, and the birth of Jesus demonstrates God’s perfect timing yet again.

When?

Jesus was born at the right time to fulfil the prophecies made about Him. Culturally, the rule of Alexander the Great meant that the Greek language travelled through the whole world, facilitating the spread of Christianity. Politically, the Roman empire meant that roads were prepared and the pax Romana meant freedom of travel so that the gospel could be spread at this time. God prepared the whole world for the arrival of His Son!

What?

The birth of Jesus is frequently referred to as the Incarnation, meaning that God Himself took on human nature. John 1:1-14 makes it clear that Jesus (the ‘Word’) is God and yet ‘became flesh’. Luke 1:26-38 describes the angel’s message to Mary that this baby would be conceived by the Holy Spirit; Matt 1:18-25 gives us the story from Joseph’s perspective, showing us that the birth of Jesus was like no ordinary baby’s, since He was sinless. The virgin birth is an essential doctrine to grasp, for we see that we have a Saviour who both understands and shares our humanity and yet who is totally pure and without sin.

Why?

God cannot tolerate sin in any shape or form; Adam and Eve’s disobedience meant that they were expelled from the Garden of Eden, from God’s presence. Jesus obeyed the law fully and died in place of sinful man so that we can be drawn back into a relationship with a holy God. Jesus, the Son of God, became man so tahat we, the children of man, can become children of God.

God works in time and there is a ‘right time’ for us all to receive Him as Saviour. Paul reminds us that ‘now’ is the day of salvation, the day of God’s favour (2 Cor 6:2). We do well to receive Him now!

Here are some photos from the community carol service on Friday:

Our thanks to Rich and Joy who helped with community choir practices and to all who came and sang with us!

More photos from Friday:

Handing out goody bags:

Taking photos!

Beating the donkey:

Craft helpers:

Mother and daughter chatting:

Home baking:

Alan took some photos which give a flavour of what was happening on the market itself:

A climbing wall:

Other entertainment:

Hog roast to eat:

Market stalls:

Many traditional Nativity scenes and paintings show all the characters in the story arriving at the stable to worship and adore Jesus at the same time. The Biblical story does not support this view, for it’s clear from Matt 2:1-11 that the wise men or magi arrived some time after the birth of Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem.

This morning at the Cherry Tree Court carol service, Stephen spoke about these wise men and the gifts they brought. Gold is still a popular gift today, for it still represents wealth and expense; in Biblical times, it was associated with greatness, for often kings were the only ones who could afford this gift. Its presence shows us that this baby was not just a baby, but was God Himself, King of all Kings, worthy of the most precious metal found on earth. Thomas reached the conclusion after the resurrection that Jesus was ‘my Lord and my God’, but these wise men recognised Jesus’ deity and worth even at His birth.

Frankincense is the aromatic resin obtained from certain trees and was burnt in the temple by the priest as an offering to God. In Rev 5:8, we see golden bowls of incense representing the prayers of God’s people. Frankincense, therefore, pointed to Jesus’s role as our high priest, offering prayers for His people and ultimately offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin (see Hebrews 7-10).

Myrrh is another form of resin used as incense and as a perfume, particularly associated with death and suffering (it was used in embalming since its strong aroma masked the stench of death.) Suffering is an inevitable part of life in a sin-stained world, but this gift foreshadowed the suffering of Jesus when He died for our sins.

The gifts brought at Jesus’s birth carried both symbolic value and spiritual significance, pointing to Jesus as King, Lord, Priest and Sacrifice for sin. They foreshadow our custom of giving gifts at Christmas-time, but Christmas is more about the greatest gift that God has given the world than about any gifts we may give (see 2 Cor 9:15). The question we must answer is ‘have you accepted this gift?’ God’s gift is Himself, given in the form of Jesus, who was God incarnate. We are wise when we accept this gift.