Page 3 - Contact Winter 2018

First born: This Christmas we again This Christmas we again
r remember the fi rst steps of God as a emember the fi rst steps of God as a
human baby on earth. In the Bible, y on earth. In the Bible,
human bab
Jesus is referred to as “the fi rstborn “the fi rstborn
of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Paul (Colossians 1:15). Paul
uses the word fi rstborn here, not in the ord fi rstborn here, not in the
uses the w
sense o
sense of Jesus having a beginning (for f Jesus having a beginning (for
He is God), but rather in the Jewish ather in the Jewish
He is God), but r
conte
context of the one who has all the xt of the one who has all the
rights and privileges of a fi rstborn son. f a fi rstborn son.
rights and privileges o
Jesus has comple
Jesus has complete sovereignty and te sovereignty and
control over the world.
And y
And yet He humbled himself and et He humbled himself and
became a vulnerable, weak, helpless able, weak, helpless
became a vulner
baby. He did this to identify with us and y. He did this to identify with us and
bab
to engage with us and ultimately die for or
to engage with us and ultimately die f
us
us. This Christmas again we remember . This Christmas again we remember
how amazing our God is that He w amazing our God is that He
ho
should s
should step across the stars and into tep across the stars and into Aldrin had the right perspective. His
Aldrin had the right perspective. His
our w
our world. It actually is even more orld. It actually is even more moon landing reminded him of how
moon landing reminded him of how
wonderful and even better news that small we really are and that God has
God has walked on earth than that loved us so much that His Son came
man has walked on the moon. On for us. This Christmas by all means
Apollo 11’s return voyage, Aldrin look at the moon shining in the night
read Psalm 8:3–4 (KJV) over a radio sky and contemplate with wonder that
broadcast: “When I consider thy men have walked there, but wonder
heavens, the work of thy fi ngers, the even more that God has walked on this
Moon and the stars, which thou has earth, fi rst as a toddling baby and then
ordained; What is man that thou art as a grown man. He did this for us. Let’s
mindful of him? And the Son of Man, bow and worship. Love came down at
that thou visitest him?” Christmas.
Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in fl esh the Godhead see;
Hail the Incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel.

With Every Blessing this Christmas,
Norman

A stamp, issued on May 5, 1969,
portraying a picture of Earth taken
on Christmas Eve, and the fi rst
words from the Apollo 8 crew’s
reading from the Bible, which took
place during their fi rst lunar orbit.