God’s Gift at Christmas (Video)

Christmas Eve (7.30pm service)/Christmas Day (9.30am service)

I pray that every one of you experiences this powerful miracle of Christmas, the Good News that brings great joy—that you experience the same good news as the shepherds did on the night the angel came to visit them: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

Now you might be like me and love all that goes with Christmas, the time spent with family, the music of Christmas, the celebration of it all—but I want to tell you that this is Christmas right here, spoken about in the Bible—written about on the pages of this amazing book—this is the heart and soul of all we need for Christmas—it’s the greatest story ever that brings great joy!

This story that has been passed on down the years is all we need folks—it’s been true for every century past and will be true for every century to come—and this story was foretold by the prophets of long ago as recorded by the prophets like Isaiah and Malachi.

But after Malachi God went silent for a period of time—there was a time between the Old and New Testaments—a period of 400 years—where God was silent—400 years God didn’t speak through His prophets to His people. But then, just at the right time—God’s time—He spoke into that silence—and He did it in an amazing way—at an amazing time—and what was the timing? Census time—one of the craziest periods for people to be caught up in—people rushing here and there to register—and into this craziness—into this upheaval, God broke His silence.

And He broke into it with the cry of a baby—not with a huge fanfare, or with the biggest display and performance that has been given on planet earth—no, God chose to break into the silence with a cry of a human baby. And with the human cry of a teenage girl giving birth to a baby boy who cries—Jesus, Son of God, deity, in human flesh—God saying I’m coming to earth, and I know that the earth I’m coming to is a broken one. I know that the people I’m coming to are crying—I know the world that I’m entering into is weary—and I want you to know that I identify with your brokenness, and your crying, and your weariness—God’s first sound after 400 years is a cry—the cry of a baby—Emmanuel—God with us.

Pastor Wayne Kerber