Almost to Bethlehem

The Scriptures

Matthew 1:22–23 NKJV

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew 2:1–2 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

The Birth

For those of you with children, I am sure you remember the day of their birth.

Rebecca

For those of you with children, I am sure you remember their birth day.

Our first child, Rebecca, was born in Bristol.

You can never fully prepare for the change that comes with the first child.

Emphasis

Your life changes, forever!

I still remember that day.

My wife called me at work.

“It is time:.

A million thoughts run through your head.

I was a bit of a mess!

My work colleagues told me afterwards that I was going on about this or that, they had to stop me and tell me go home. Now!

There was a young nurse at our daughter’s birth.

I think she was an intern.

She asked our permission to be present.

She held my wife’s hand, I held the other.

Later we did get a note from her saying how much of a privilege it had been to be present at the birth.

She said she cried all the way home.

Rhys

Our son was born in California.

In America, they have what are call “birth coaches”.

Maybe they have those today here?

It can be the Dad, but often a different person.

For my wife it was a friend from our local church, a retired midwife .

They moved soon after.

I always find it amazing how the Lord brings people into our lives, for a season, at just the right time.

So our son was born, a healthy baby boy.

Where do I come from?

As our daughter and son grew up, inevitably the question came, where did I come from?

See your Mother

Depending on their age you tend to answer that in different ways..

But there is something that is common in all answers.

You have to say,

Well, Rebecca, Rhys, there was a time you did not exist!

When they did not exist.

Jesus Birth

How different that family discussion must have been for Mary and Joseph.

But if they asked that question, “where did we come from”, how different the answer must be for Jesus.

You see, for Jesus, there was no time as the Pre-incarnate Christ, that He did not exist.

But that cannot be said of Jesus!

Birth of Immanuel, God with us

This Christmas we deliberately chose the theme, “Immanuel”, which means, “God with us”.

Because that is exactly who Jesus is!

The bible answers the question, “Where did Jesus come from?” or “Who is Jesus”?

That is the miracle that we remember and celebrate at this time of year.

The Apostle Matthew writes, quoting from a prophecy written some 700 years before Jesus was born,

Matthew 1:23 NKJV

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:23–24 NKJV

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

The good news of Jesus birth, is that God came to us, in the very person of Jesus.

You see, without giving up being God, the pre-incarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, became fully human, grew in His mother’s womb, was born through His mother’s birth canal, like every other baby and had His cord cut.

It is an absolute mystery !

And it is an absolute miracle!

It is a mystery!

It shows the love of God, for each of us

John 3:16–17 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God took the initiative.

God became a little baby.

Think about that.

So If we are wondering what God is like, He is like Jesus!

If you are wondering what God is like, He is Jesus!

He is Jesus!

The Wise Men

It is one of my favorite Carols,

We Three Kings

We three kings of orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star.

Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide with thy perfect light.

They were Magi.

Wise men would be better than kings, but lets not get hung up on that tonight.

They came from the East.

The Apostle Matthew writes,

Matthew 2:1–2 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

It is s

1 Kings 4:30 NKJV

30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.

But now one greater than Solomon had been born.

And they came to see Him and to worship Him.

Immanuel, God with Us.

Almost at Bethlehem

Point at slide

They were almost there.

It had been such a long journey.

Many months.

But hey made it!

But they were almost to Bethlehem.

What about us?

Are we almost to Bethlehem?

Have we seen how God has been working in our lives, in His unforced and intentional way?

It has been a long journey!

Has he been drawing you, calling you, to Bethlehem?

To come all the way to Bethlehem, and to see Him and to worship Him?

For each of us It has also been a long journey!

You are almost at Bethlehem.

Coming Into Bethlehem

Why not come all the way to Bethlehem this Christmas?

Why stay at a distance from God himself!

To see Him, to kneel before Him and to worship Him.

The one who is, “Immanuel, God with us”

Having a child changes your life forever. So does coming all the way to Bethlehem!

So does coming all the way into Bethlehem!

It is why the bible calls it being Born again.

“Immanuel, God with us”, for today, tomorrow, and for eternity.

That is Jesus promise.

Because Jesus talked the talk, and Jesus walked the walk, from birth unto death, for each one of us.

I invite you today, as a fellow human in need of God everyday, to come fully into Bethlehem.

Our Epitaph

“Almost to Bethlehem”.

That looks interesting, but not ready to get too close!

How utterly sad!

What a missed opportunity. What a missed life.

Better by far, “Came to Bethlehem to worship Immanuel, God with us”

I invite you today, as a fellow pilgrim in this world, as one in need of Jesus everyday, to come fully to Bethlehem.

East Coast Hospice

We are fundraising to build a ten-bed Specialist Palliative Care facility with Day Care, Complementary Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Bereavement Counselling. .Currently, we have over 7.54 acres of land in Hopton on the Gorleston border in Norfolk.

Once built, our facilities will include

IN-PATIENT CARE

Our 10 single rooms with en-suite facilities encompasses a homely, yet professional environment where loved ones can stay. Each room will have it's own private garden space to share with their loved ones and enjoy a calm and rural setting. Each room will be equipped to a very high standard in all aspects.

DAY CARE

The day care unit will be able to accommodate 10-15 patients daily to enable loved ones to have some quality time.

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY

Complementary therapies will be provided to both our inpatients and day care patients to suit their individual needs. They will have as much alternative care as they request to give them quality of life during their stay with us.

Status. In planning and fund raising.