In May I was blessed to visit and explore Singapore. During a visit to the Gardens by the Bay I was captivated by the sculpture of a baby, appearing to float above the ground. Entitled ‘Planet,’ it is the work of Marc Quinn, and depicts his then 7-month-old son. It is an impressive 10 metres long, weighs 7 tonnes and yet seems to defy gravity. Quinn himself commented that the sculpture is a “paradox – hugely heavy, yet the bronze appears weightless; overwhelmingly big, yet also an image of vulnerability.”
Perhaps it was the size of the baby, combined with the vulnerability of infants, that made me recall the words of Isaiah 9:6 -
A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful Counsellor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.”
As I continued to gaze on the statue the Christmas story came to mind, as told in Luke 2 verses 1-20. The familiar story of Mary and Joseph travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census. We know that there was no room at the Inn, so newborn baby Jesus was wrapped in rags and placed in a manger. The circumstances of His birth were humble and basic to say the least.
Humble and basic could also be used to describe the shepherds’ lifestyle but despite their low ranking in society, God chose them to bear witness to the coming of the promised Messiah. When the angel of the Lord appeared to them they were terribly afraid, but verses 10 and 11 tell us that ‘the angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David's town your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord!" As soon as they had overcome their shock, they responded by hurrying to Bethlehem to greet the baby and to tell Mary and Joseph what the angel had told them.
Verse 19 tells us that ‘Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them.’ And that verse brought my thoughts to the message contained in the wonderful modern carol ‘Mary Did You Know?’, with powerful lyrics that remind us of the miracles this baby will go on to deliver, indeed that He is the Lord of all creation and ruler of all the nations.
At the first Christmas, the Angel of the Lord promised that the good news of the birth of Christ would bring joy to all people. Pause a moment to reflect on all the ways the Christmas message brings you joy, focus on Jesus and the Good News His birth brings, and remind yourself that Jesus is the reason for the season! If we can do this, I am sure we will be amazed at how much joy Christmas can bring!
Debbie Wilson