City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

Reflection

We live in a modern world that struggles with the miraculous things like the virgin birth.  However, here is a list of other virgin birth claims throughout history:

Krishna (Hindu deity), Bacchus the Egyptian (Roman God), Zeus (Roman God), Mars (Roman God), Hercules (Roman Hero), Yu of China (Name found during the period of 1045-771 B.C.), Buddha (Lived 563-483 B.C. or 480-400 B.C.), Alexander the Great (died 323 B.C.), Ghengis Khan (1162-1227 A.D.)

There are plenty more, but I think this list is sufficient to illustrate the point.  The idea of a virgin birth was not new during the time leading up to the New Testament and the birth of Jesus.  As you investigate some of these cultural stories, I think you will find a lot of similarities to the story of Jesus’ birth, but I do not think that you will find a savior there.

In Matthew, we are told that Jesus was born to “…save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  While the others may claim a virgin birth, none claim that they will do that. Many seek peace, but peace will only come if the sin in their lives is address, vanquished. And for that one needs a savior.  A human savior will be insufficient given that they themselves would need their sin removed first.  Human corruption breads human corruption.  A human savior could identify with you, cry with you, and even explain why you are hurting so deeply, but they could not cure you.  For that, the redemption must be from heaven.  And the incorruptible son is conceived by God, the Father, through the Holy Spirit, but born from the corruptible body, the new incorruptible man, with the ability to die.

Application

I pray that you can get past all the shopping and running around, so that you can see how wonderful Christmas time truly is.  Yes, the lights are beautiful, and the fellowship is wonderful.  But I find that when you get time to let the Christmas music wash over you, the message can really start to hit you.  God came down to be with you.  It is not just a fairy tale that people tell to get you to buy a few more things.  It really happened, and Christ is aware of who you are and what you need.  As in the hymn, “God is not dead nor doth He sleep.”

I encourage you to find some time this season, with Christmas music play, and friends and family around, to listen for the message of God’s love for each of you in every moment.  It is amazing how clearly this message is spelled out in the traditional songs.  So, take the time.  Come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Messiah – Behold! a Virgin shall conceive & O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion.

Prayer

Dearest Lord, we thank you so much for your Son, Jesus Christ, and that you would send Him to be in our fallen world.  We pray for a heart of adoration, that we might bask in the glory of your kingdom and make our delight in it.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.