This passage starts with one of the most well-known verses in the Bible,

“In the beginning the Word already existed, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NLT)

John speaks of how Jesus was already waiting to come as our Saviour. God had a plan in place from the beginning of time. He was giving us His most precious gift, His Son Jesus, a means through which we could receive eternal life with Him. Jesus is the light we have to recognise and accept into our lives as Lord and Saviour.

I wonder why the route back from somewhere often feels much quicker than the outward journey. Perhaps you know the way, you recognize the landmarks or sense that home is on the horizon? The verses in this passage move quickly from one event to the next and it is easy to overlook the journey itself.

After months or perhaps years in Egypt, the news they had waited for had come:

“Rise, take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” (Matthew 2: 20)

When parents bring their new born baby to church for the first time there is always much excitement. Many people are anxious to see the new arrival and often the baby is surrounded by well-wishers eager to greet the baby and congratulate the parents.

In today’s passage, we see not just the excitement at meeting a new life, but rejoicing for an encounter with the One who brings New Life. We read of two such encounters:

Questions I ask myself as I read this

1. Who was this written for?

2. Who wrote it?

3. Why was it written?

1. Who was it written for? “O most excellent Theophilus” suggests he was

a high ranking Roman official. None of the friendly “Hi Theophilus” as

some might write (or email) today. Respect for the recipient is clear.

2. Who wrote it? Luke, who we later learn is a doctor. Someone who thinks

in an orderly fashion and sets about writing accurate information about

We can take huge encouragement from these ancient verses that point us to Jesus and allow us to reflect on His character and His mission......

Jesus – God’s representative, always doing the will of the Father, living a fruit-bearing life of wisdom and powerful counsel.

Jesus – The Righteous Judge, perfectly faithful, just and all-powerful.

Jesus – The Prince of Peace, bringing order and harmony to all creation.

Jesus – The Saviour, gathering people from all over the world into His Kingdom.

Reading through the account of Jesus’ birth it is easy to condense the events in our heads to a short period of time. The typical nativity scene portrayed today shows the wise men huddled round the new born Christ in a stable.

We live in a world where our choices are very much influenced by comfort. In our busy 21st Century lives, our expectations are such that we can feel frustrated, even with the smallest of inconveniences.

What a message to receive! Mary must have been beside herself with the news. There is no mention in the Bible of her parents having been given divine knowledge of the veracity of her encounter with Gabriel, and considering the initial reaction of Joseph they also may have had concerns and doubts. However God is so gracious in His dealings with us, and so for Mary He provides the information that her relative Elizabeth “in her old age” is pregnant for “nothing will be impossible with God”.

Israel was in the midst of a seemingly endless cycle of blessing and judgement. Despite strong injunctions in the Pentateuch, Israel forgot to remember its covenant with God presented to them by Moses. Unlike the faithfully-kept, ‘one-sided’ covenants with Noah and Abraham, God demanded fidelity from Israel as a condition of His ongoing provision of safety and blessing.