Year C December 24/25

Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20).

"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."(11)

Luke's penchant for locating events time and space has generated much discussion about the accuracy of the opening verse of this text. The Greek of the first verse is awkward, and there is no reason why it cannot be translated "Before Quirinius was governor of Syria...".
This slight alteration apparently silences all the arguments over dating, and opens the way for a census which has parallels in the history of Roman provincial government. And so it was that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

One aspect that we overlook so often is that this is the second birth narrative in Luke's gospel, the first being the birth of John (1:57-66).

There are a number of points of parallel in these two accounts - a statement about the pregnancy reaching term (v 6, cf. 1:57), a simple birth statement (v 7, cf. 1:57), marveling onlookers (v 18, cf. 1:63), the mother taking to heart what had happened (v 19, cf. 1:66), and then the circumcision and giving of the angelically determined name on the eighth day (v 21, cf. 1:59).

There is also a major point of difference. With the birth of John Zechariah's prophecy was about promise - what John was to become. With the birth of Jesus the central verses of this narrative unit are about fulfilment.
"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."(11)
A magnificent heavenly choir adds drama and music to this announcement made to a group of smelly shepherds who were at work in the hills around Bethlehem.
The long awaited and anticipated Messiah had come. The promise had been fulfilled.

What remains for us is to accept realise the promise.
When an accountant or merchant talks about realizing an asset they mean selling that asset and receiving in monetary terms its full value. That money can then be used for other purpose.
For us realizing the promise is about claiming daily the benefits of Jesus as Messiah - the sense of peace, of purpose and of eternal and enduring worth that comes when we realise we are God's children, loved so much by God that he would send his son into the world to show us the way to live the way we were intended to live.

It is my prayer that this Christmas you might realize that promise afresh.

Other readings:

Isaiah 9:2-7;
Psalm 96;
Titus 2:11-14