Fourth Sunday of Advent
How? Why? Anyone with experience of young children will know
that these are their most frequently
asked questions as they try to learn about and make sense of the world around
them!
The nativity story that forms the main focus of our
scripture readings over the Christmas period helps address the question of how
Jesus came to be born into the world as
a baby. Whereas the Hebrews reading today helps answer the question why.
‘Sacrifice
and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me’
but a body you prepared for me’
The sacrifices and
burnt offerings of animals made under the old covenant law couldn’t make
worshippers perfect. What was required was a body; a human body given over
completely to God’s will and purpose. This would be the one perfect sacrifice
able to re-unite the worship of earth and heaven again, able to remove the
problem of sin that had always got in the way.
Jesus
needed a body – a body in which he could be ‘God with us’, a body in which he
could model God’s purposes for His children , a body which he would sacrifice
to save the world from sin. So he came as a weak fragile tiny baby so the
fullness of God could be grown in Him.
So today, despite being hard pressed by
all the practicalities surrounding our celebration of Christmas , lets pray
that we would receive great joy from celebrating Jesus’ birth again, and that we would be able to
welcome His life amongst us afresh and offer ourselves to Him in return.
Fiona
Simon
Attribution
Nativity from a Spanish Romanesque panel, 13th century,
Copyright Media Storehouse/Granger Historical Picture Archive. License granted to Revd. Fiona Simons to use in this publication.
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