Christmas Secret

It’s not restricted to the first one winning the prize; He is the Saviour for all people who believe

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Do you know a secret? Last year on my birthday, a whisper in my ear heralded good news! I couldn’t share it with others straight away, but happily a new grandchild has safely joined the family, thanks be to God. 

Today we celebrate the fulfilment of a promise given to God’s people over 2700 years ago through the prophet Isaiah, it is written in chapter 9: ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government shall be on his shoulders.’ In Luke’s gospel we read of its fulfilment as an angel appears to shepherds out in the fields at night: ‘… Do not be afraid. I bring you news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord, this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger…..so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger.’

In ‘The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe’, C.S. Lewis conveys the moment of hearing a spiritual secret over a meal in a secluded place. The children hear the beaver whisper: “they say that Aslan is on the move..”. The individuals at the meal experienced varying levels of thrill or fear, even though they did not understand the full implications. They were roused for action by hearing this news.

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Some of you who have celebrated or attended an enactment of a Passover (seder) meal, may have heard about the ‘afikomen’. This is a piece of the unleavened bread which is wrapped in a cloth and put to one side. Sometimes, it is hidden for the children to find and then after the main meal it is unwrapped and eaten. There isn’t universal agreement about the significance of ‘afikomen’, but many commentators say that it comes from a Greek word meaning ‘he is coming’. They also say that it would have been part of the meal when Jesus celebrated it with his disciples. 

So we reflect on the ‘afikomen’; being wrapped in a cloth, hidden away, found by children and then shared among those gathered. We read in John’s gospel chapter 20:

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strip of linen lying there as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

But, it’s not restricted to the first one winning the prize; He is the Saviour for all people who believe. 

Unto us a child is born!
Unto us a son is given,
He shall reign in all the earth,
He will be called Emmanuel.

 Author: Mandy Windridge

May God bless and enrich your life

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