Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11 NIV
Yet another day, and another declaration. We saw the rich wise men from the East who followed the star they saw far away all the way to the house where the baby lay. These rich wise men studied stars, yet it was the basis of God's engagement with them, and a message to us today that God does not care about distance, orientation, race, language or leaning; his gift is for all the world, and as many of us as would embrace the gift will also have access to all that has been given. The message is for the here and the now, and today is the day I need to respond. It really cannot wait for tomorrow.
The message to the poor, lowly shepherds was sent on the day the Saviour was born, so it really reflected in the message of the angels. But as we know, the Saviour has been given, but the message is still as timely as ever. Centuries have passed since the gift was physically given, but the message of the gift is still relevant. Think about this: the first recorded promise of the Saviour in the bible was at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, yet the actual birth occured centuries later. The passage of time did not reduce the efficacy or certainty of the promise of God, but it was waiting for the day that it would be fulfilled. It has now been fulfilled; the gift has been given, and all that I must do has been laid out: receive, worship, follow and serve the Saviour.
Today, the gift has been given. In line with the promise, He was to be born in a specific place, and indeed He was. He was to be given a specific name, and indeed He was. His name spoke of his earthly and divine purpose and as we know, He fulfilled that purpose. If God can fulfil promises made 6,000 years apart, then you can rest assured that there is nothing too hard for him to do. If He went this far ro announce his gift to the world, don't you think that it means that there are grave consequences for rejecting the gift? As it was to the shepherds, so is it to us now. A gift of a Saviour has been given; it is given today and all who will receive him must respond today. Tomorrow is not assured; we pray for long life, but would true life be defined by its length or impact? To make my life count, it has to have the life of God in it, and that is the gift that has been given. Do you have Him? Do I? God's time of favour is here.
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