Preparing for Sunday: Christmas Day

Preparing for Sunday: Christmas Day

“In the Christian story God descends to reascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still… to the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him.”

– C. S. Lewis, Miracles


The celebration of Christ’s coming among us at Christmas, the incarnation, is one of the two poles of the Christian year, along with the narrative of his death and resurrection.

Christmas is much more than simply the celebration of Jesus’ birth: it reminds us of the central truth of  “the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us” (John 1:14), fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 that the virgin will conceive and bear a Son, who will be called Emmanuel, “God is with us.”

Sermon Text: Matthew 1:18-25

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Song to Practice: Joy Has Dawned


Reflect:

“The whole life of Christ was a continuall Passion; others die Martyrs, but Christ was born a Martyr… His birth and his death were but one continuall act, and his Christmas-day and his Good Friday, are but the evening and morning of one and the same day.”

– John Donne, Christmas Sermon, Dec 25, 1626