We are reminded at Christmas of the generosity of our heavenly Father, the giver of all good gifts who gave His only begotten Son, chosen by God and precious, in the fullness of time. In the Old Testament in Exodus 12, we read of the Passover lamb, a foreshadowing of the Lamb of God to come.

And the Lord said: “This month shall be your beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you”. It is significant that the Exodus changed the calendar of the nation and what is even more amazing is that the lamb was the key issue. After the Passover night, the people were free to leave the land of slavery and bondage. Israel left Egypt, and with it, the calendar changed, and began with the month of Abib, when the Passover lamb was given. This is the date from which Israel’s national existence is counted.

You and I are living in the new Covenant that our Emmanuel, God with us, has made possible. Up to time when Jesus was born, the Roman calendar had been called Anno Mundi, the year of the world, but later the calendar was changed to signify the birth of Christ and became Anno Domini, A.D., the year of the Lord.

The New Testament starts when our Passover Lamb was born in Bethlehem in the city of King David. We no longer have to bring a sacrifice of blood to find forgiveness because Emmanuel was born, God with us. We have left the land of slavery and bondage, our relationship with God has changed, we have been redeemed. We live in the year of the Lord, A.D. 2018. In Him we discover the nearness of God. As we celebrate Christmas we too can live with the awareness of His Spirit, His Presence, His wisdom, love and peace.

Christ, our Passover Lamb, came to redeem us not with silver or gold or perishable things from our empty way of life, but with His precious blood, “a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:19).

Christmas is a celebration of the coming of the Saviour of the nations. Hope born and fulfilled. That is why we can celebrate Him and hunger for more for Him, for revival and a great harvest.

May you have a blessed Christmas and a fulfilling New Year, a year of promise, A.D. 2019!