Christmas, Then and NowShembull

# The Promise People in the first century knew as well as we do where babies come from, which is why Mary was so shocked when the angel told her she was about to become pregnant and have a son. ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ she asked (Luke 1:34 ESV). She and Joseph were only ‘pledged to be married’ (v. 27 NIV), and they certainly hadn’t slept together – so how could this be? A thought that perplexed Joseph just as much, and which needed angelic revelation to convince him that Mary hadn’t been unfaithful to him (see Matthew 1:20-25). This miraculous conception of Jesus, which would lead to the ‘virgin birth’, was brought about solely by God’s intervention – through ‘the power of the Most High’ coming upon Mary. And, hard as it is to understand from a biological point of view, it’s really important we keep hold of this truth. Why? First, because this miraculous conception alone made possible the ‘incarnation’ – the coming of God’s eternal Son in fully human form into this world; and second, because through it, God started the human race all over again – which is why Jesus is called ‘the firstborn of all creation’ (Colossians 1:15 ESV), so that all who are ‘in Him’ through faith can be part of that new creation too. Through His Spirit, God created in Mary’s womb a brand-new, perfect human nature for His Son, just like Adam’s before he sinned. And this meant that Jesus was free of the sin that had infected all humanity; and so, having maintained that sinlessness throughout His life through dependence on the Holy Spirit, Jesus would be able to die in our place – not paying the price of His sin (for He had none), but rather, of ours. At Christmas, we remember that it was God Himself (and no one less!) who came to us – and who still comes to us each day. Let’s be open to Him and to His promises, even when they sound strange at first.