Christmas Message Isaiah 7:10-14 & Matthew 1:23

Some Children’s Christmas jokes: (http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/xmas/jokes.html )

What’s the difference between a Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet?

A Christmas alphabet has no l (noel-get it?)

Why is it always cold at Christmas?

Because it’s Decemberrrrrrrrrr

What do you have in December that you don’t have in any other month?

The letter “D”

What did Adam say the day before Christmas?

“It’s Christmas, Eve!!!”

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:10-14

Marry Shelley wrote a best-selling book as a teenager-she would never accomplish anything of such notoriety for the rest of her life. She grew up in a home which often had artists and scientists and philosophers over for dinner and discussion. One of those discussions was about whether human beings start out as a blank slate (a tabula rasa) or if they have an inborn fault that needs to be worked out. They also had discussed scary tales, and decided to compete to see who could write the best scary tale. Incorporating both ideas, along with some recent scientific discoveries that electricity somehow was related to muscle movement, even of dead tissue, and, therefore, biological life, she wrote a story about a scientist who put dead body parts gathered from various places together, then animated the conglomerate creature with electricity. Dr. Frankenstein had brought the once dead to life. Mary Shelley’s point was that this monstrous creature was actually caring and needy, but because of his hideous appearance he was ill-treated and, therefore, became evil. The Monster was a tabula rasa ill written upon.

The Bible has an almost opposite story to tell about Jesus. His heritage was tainted, and his genealogy connected him to imperfect people, yet He was, nevertheless, pure, and true, and wise, and great. This might be because He was not merely the Son of Man. He was the Only Begotten Son of God.

The three Genealogies and Christmas Stories in the Bible:

Matthew 1-3 The list is made, going back to Abraham & the promises God made to him. Jesus is connected to those promises. He is the fulfillment of them. Wise men come from the East, having seen a star-even Creation itself announces the birth of this child, mute stars speak, while the deaf ears of humanity sit in silence. To the Earth a Light has shined, yet men continue in blind darkness.

Luke 1-3 The Birth is described first, beginning with the parents of John the Baptist, then describing the angels appearances to Mary, and the shepherds.

John 1:1-18 John has his own Genealogy-and his own Christmas story.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1; 14

George Matheson

was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1842. He had only partial sight. By the time he was college age, he was totally blind but graduated with honors from the University of Scotland. His beloved sister cared for him and read to him, so he was able to become one of the most outstanding ministers in the history of Scotland. He was engaged until his fiancé learned that was nothing the doctors could do, that George would be completely blind for the rest of his life. She told him that she could not go through life with a blind man.

On the day of his beloved sister’s wedding, George Matheson was left alone at home. Left to his own thoughts, utterly alone, feeling abandoned by the one who had cared for him so many years, he felt the pangs of despair. Who will care for him, a blind man? He describes the night,"I was alone in the manse, the night of my sister's marriage. Something happened to me which is known only to myself and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. The whole work was completed in five minutes." (June 6,1882)

O Love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;