In December 1903 after many attempts, the Wright Brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground.
Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”
Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message.
He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.”
He totally missed the big news – man had flown! Many people today make a similar mistake when they hear the word Christmas.
They don’t think of Jesus and His miraculous birth.
Instead, they think of family gatherings, festive meals, decorations, and gifts.
To them, Christmas brings nostalgia and memories of childhood.
They are missing its true significance.
Since Christmas is one week away, what better way for us to get excited about Christmas than to reflect on the first prophecy in the Bible about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
In Genesis 3:15, we have the first mention of Christmas.
Everything in the Bible actually flows from this one verse.
This verse takes place near the beginning of human history.
Adam and Eve have just sinned by eating the prohibited fruit.
God’s grace is seen in this promise, because right after man sinned, He promised the forgiveness of man through the birth of the Savior, who would overturn the curse of sin.
Genesis 3:15 says:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
The phrase “her seed” is very interesting in Hebrew because in the over 100 times in the Old Testament where there is a reference to “seed” it is always the seed of a man that it is referring to.
A woman has an egg but no seed or sperm; it is only the man who provides the sperm.
Why does it say “her seed” here? It is predicting the virgin birth of Christ.
Not only do we have the first promise of the Savior here but also the first promise of the virgin birth of Christ.
When Christ was conceived in Mary’s womb, he was the “seed of the woman” because His conception was by the Holy Spirit.
His was a miraculous virgin birth.
The ultimate seed of the woman is Christ.
We read in Galatians 3:16:
“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He doesn’t say, ‘and to seeds’ as referring too many, but rather to one, ‘and to your seed,’ that is Christ.”
On a flight back from a medical convention, two widely acclaimed neurosurgeons were seated next to each other in the 1st class section of the jumbo jet.
During the course of the flight, their conversation turned to the importance of faith in the healing process following extensive and dangerous surgery.
One was a dedicated Christian who shared his faith on every possible occasion; the other was a professed agnostic.
The agnostic asked the Christian doctor if he really believed in the virgin birth of Jesus.
He told his friend that if a person lived the kind of life that Jesus lived:
- performed the miracles that Jesus performed;
- healed the sick and raised the dead as Jesus did;
- taught great truths that transcended current philosophical thought as Jesus did, was crucified on a cross as was Jesus;
- bodily arose from the grave on the 3rd day as Jesus did;
- and ascended into heaven before many witnesses as Jesus did,
then, yes, I think I might be inclined to believe in the virgin birth of such a one!”
The hope of the world was born. Christmas is the evidence of a promise by God that was kept.
He made good on His promise in the birth of the Christ-child on that first Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Ken Keeler