Christmas greetings to you all!
After enjoying (some would say enduring) 3 white Christmas’s while in London, I must say it is taking a little time to adjust to the fact that humidity and blazing sun are the canvas upon which tinsel, reindeer and big red Father Christmas statues are set. We were just getting used to the mulled wine, winter coats and roasted chestnuts on London’s South Bank only to be re-assigned to Durban’s sun, sea and sand!
With our first sunny festive season back in full swing, I want to make an important Christmas comment for the community. We so often read the Nativity account in the early parts of the Gospels with one eye on the text, one eye on the Christmas cake, missing out some real gems of revelation. Gabriel, Mary, Herod and the Magi take centre stage so regularly as we remember the story that we so easily forget the scene and setting of that blessed first Christmas. By ‘scene and setting’ I am not talking about the arid, sandy climes of the Israel of 2000 years ago; rather, I am emphasizing the fact that Sovereign Father God chose to reveal Heaven’s redemptive intent in a particular way …
After 400 years of prophetic silence the moment of moments arrived for the introduction of the long awaited Messiah, the One whom would usher in the Kingdom of God in this world. Yes, Gabriel was the right one to announce Messiah’s arrival, the angelic fan-fare more than appropriate for the occasion, a dusty manger was not what Mankind had in mind, but that is the genius of God’s redemptive reach; what astounds me most right now as I reconsider the account is the fact that Father God chose perfectly to reveal His Grace Plan at that first Christmas moment through A FAMILY! His genius was to give the Messiah to be nurtured and cared for in His infancy to A FAMILY! After all, Isaiah did declare many hundreds of years before that ‘a son’ would be given to Mankind! Could we have imagined that He would have been a son in the natural too (although miraculously). Yes the Son of God, but also a son nurtured and raised in a country family! I find this mind boggling, The Son was a son to Mary and Joseph – Family was God’s intended atmosphere in nurturing the might and mission of the Messiah … Wow!
This truth speaks powerfully to us in this day, especially at this time! While celebrating with our biological families – and rightfully so – remember that God is all about a bigger family right now. In our office places, recreational spaces, and in our very own Kingdom Communities called churches, are heaps of lonely, left out precious people that require the love and warmth of God’s huge family. That’s me and you reaching out in a meaningful, loving way like a big brother, sister, mum or dad.
The stats show that at a time like this cases of depression rise, along with more permanent resultant acts of sadness, so it is our time now to combat this hellish strategy by BEING FAMILY. I don’t want to prescribe how you are to do that, but the opportunities are endless. My Babe, Melissa, often tells stories of how her Mum, Gilly, would invite handfuls of ‘waifs and strays’ into her home around the Festive Season to enjoy a bit of Christmas family. She recalls how many times there would be strangers ‘loved on’ around her Mum’s dining room table at 32 Cromwell Road, and how Melissa loved it … all the different faces, different stories.
I don’t know how Father would stir you this December, but be stirred to BE FAMILY right now. Be compelled to include, be inspired to open doors and welcome into dining rooms. It is so much part of the Christmas Message. You never know who it is that you are entertaining in that moment …
With heaps of love and Christmas hope,
Ryan