Sermon Summary - Thursday 24 December 2015

Main Bible passage:  Isaiah 9:1-7

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Christmas is for the children, so it’s said. After all, at the heart of the original story is a baby called Jesus who receives gifts. How sweet! But that’s not really where we should begin. The story of Christmas doesn’t start with the stable, the presents or the baby. It begins many years earlier.

Jesus’ birth was talked about long before he was conceived. For many years people had spoken of a child of hope coming into the world one day. One of the most famous sayings was uttered by a man named Isaiah. If you’ve read the passage above, then you’ll know what he said. He spoke of a boy born into an ancient Jewish family who would grow up to be an astonishing world leader. When Isaiah said this, it was extremely unlikely to come true. Why? Because the tiny country of Israel was falling apart: her rulers were failures and the whole nation was doomed. Isaiah’s prediction was utterly hopeless, destined to be forgotten.

Yet centuries after Isaiah spoke, Jesus was born into the very family he had indicated. In the 2000 years since, Jesus’ influence has grown until today he is honoured across the world as a king. Isaiah’s promise no longer looks like hopeless words. Now, it looks like a remarkable prophecy. And it’s not alone. Many prophecies came true with Jesus’ birth. How can this be? How could someone like Isaiah know the future? Because God was behind it all.

The Christmas story is about our creator and his plans for this world. It’s not just a child’s tale. It’s a true story which affects all of us. Won’t you read on to discover how?

To us a child is born (2 of 8)
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