From our December 2008 / January 2009 Newsletter:

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord .
LUKE 2:11

For hundreds of years the world’s great artists have been inspired to paint Jesus ‘newborn and lying in a manger’.  It is the most wonderful of stories so it is not surprising that it has produced the most wonderful of paintings.  There is an interesting tradition where the artist would paint the scene as if it were happening in their time and in their town when the picture was being painted.  So French artists would paint the nativity in a rolling French landscape whilst Italian artists would picture the scene amongst the ruins of ancient Roman buildings.  The contemporary English artist Paulo Baigent was asked to paint the birth of Jesus as if it took place in 1997 and though not in the traditional way it captured three thoughts:-

1. Jesus came in poverty.
2. Jesus came helplessly.
3. Jesus comes for us now, right where we are.

Observation of other paintings in this tradition captured the same truths.  The message is there for each of us at this time of the year.  In Luke 2 an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds with the words: ‘Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you.  HE IS THE CHRIST.’

After they had been to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus, we are told they returned to their flocks glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, because the events were just as the angel had told them.

The message of Christmas is ‘EMMANUEL which means GOD WITH US. Whether it was 2000 years ago or at the dawn of another year, 2009  Christ offers REAL HOPE that lasts TODAY AND ALWAYS.  

  David Perry.