The myriad eyes of the four Living Creatures opened in wide-eyed wonder as they watched the Son of God divest Himself of Glory to don human flesh. What was going on and how was this Divine Disconnect going to play out?

A cluster of curious angels rushed over to check it out too and were promptly assigned the job of announcing this event on earth- but without any further instructions.

No further instructions from the top brass? Was this a rap on their knuckles for rushing in where angels should fear to tread; a reminder to stay in their lane and do as they’re told only?

Well, now they would have to do some sleuthing to complete their assignment, so off they went to check the Torah for further details of the time and place. Micah (5:2) was useful in identifying Bethlehem as Christ’s birthplace, but sussing out the time factor was another matter. It seemed like math and logic would be needed for that.

The angels knew that the Messiah was leaving heaven to tabernacle with His people on earth as Immanuel, (God with us), so they figured it made sense He would do it during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles in Sep/Oct.

Conversely, a quick calculation of the time difference between Elizabeth and Mary’s pregnancy, or Zechariah’s duty roster at the Temple, or the date of the nationwide census which had jammed up all the inns- all would help in getting an estimate of His birth month as well.

And if this event was to be announced to shepherds watching over their sheep at night, then winter was definitely not the season they would be in the fields. No self respecting shepherd would torture his poor sheep in the freezing cold.

It really puzzled them as to why such an auspicious date had not been etched clearly in the prophetic timetable of heaven, or even in the annals of history, for that matter.

And it certainly didn’t help to be informed that when “the fullness of time had come God sent His Son to be born of a woman.” (Gal 4:4). How could they get their choirs and instruments ready and tuned on time, with such a cryptic clue?

Perhaps the Almighty didn’t want the date recorded because He knew this glorious and epochal event would end up getting tarnished by tinsel and submerged in styrofoam. Made sense, but sadly, that ultimately did happen.

Anyway they were quite confident of their calculations for the ETD, and now they just had to wait for nature to take it’s course. It wasn’t long before the first moans of birth pangs pierced through the still, starlit night, increasing in crescendo, until it suddenly stopped- and then- a baby’s lusty cry. Hallelujah!

Baby Jesus had been safely delivered, and only His parents and the animals in the stable witnessed the Divine Mystery that the One who had created them, had just been created in their likeness.

One more Messianic prophecy had been fulfilled. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name, Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

The celestial choir received its cue to perform Gloria in Excelsis Deo after the angel announced the news of Jesus’s birth to the humble shepherds, and an epic extravaganza followed.

This dazzling display of celebratory glory saturated the skies and ignited the Star of Bethlehem which began to glow in the East, alerting the wise men who had been studying the stars and waiting for this particular sign a long while.

The rest is history.

Shepherds and Wise Men. The unlettered and the erudite. The poor and the rich. The extremes and the moderates. Jesus had been born for all, in order to die for all.

And that really is the crux of Christmas. The human baby had to be born, so that the Eternal Son could be given as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Christmas was the commencement of the saga of salvation encompassing the death, burial, resurrection and heavenly coronation of our Messiah- a King whose imminent return we are all eagerly awaiting.

But for the past 2000+ years it seems like we’ve been stuck in the stable still cooing over a cherubic baby in the manger, never giving Him the chance to grow up. Each year as the world grows darker, we just amp up our fake lights, our festive decorations and our frivolity- and then we actually expect the world to believe that this helpless Baby is capable of changing the destiny of civilization?

Perhaps it’s time we stopped looking to the past and began looking ahead instead. Like the magi eagerly awaiting and looking for the signs of Jesus’ First Coming, we too should be lifting our heads and watching for our soon coming Redemption.

The signs are all out there- and while baubles and trinkets are being put on fake trees and silly Santa hats are adorning empty heads- another batch of angels is getting ready to announce the return of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Are we prepared and willing to replace the cosy Manger with the Bema Throne?

Merry Christmas everybody!