Worth the wait?
Dear Friends,
The waiting for Christmas is over. The presents are unwrapped. Multiple mince pies have been consumed. The turkey sandwiches are finished and the family games have got boring. What is left to look forward to now!?
As I write, my wife Rachel and I are waiting eagerly for the imminent arrival of our first baby. What should I expect? What will it be like? How will my life change? These are all questions going through my mind. It will be a special day when our baby is born. Our lives will be changed.
Yet the baby in the manger. The baby that was born on Christmas Day. This baby changed the world forever!
This baby we sing of at Christmas time holds a promise for us long after the Christmas decorations have been taken down. This baby is the one likened in Luke 1:78 to “the rising sun…from heaven.” For this Jesus. God himself comes at Christmas ushering in a radiant new dawn. Offering the hope of eternal life, life with God himself. Life as it was meant to be. For this baby would grow up to die for our sins, beat death and offer us eternal life with God that will never end.
Now there’s a hope that lasts far beyond Christmas. A hope worth waiting for.
Brightness of the Father’s glory
Spread the splendour of Thy light.
Radiant Fountain, Dayspring dawning,
Banish now the shades of night! (part of a hymn by Ambrose of Milan)
With love in Christ,
Ben Wells (Assistant Minister)
29th December 2019