15th December 2025

15th December 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Galatians 4:4-5)


Message (Alan Burke) 


“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” the song written by Edward Pola and George Wyle first recorded by Andy Williams and released in 1963. But is it the most wonderful time of the year? I suspect for many it is not, it is a challenging time due to various pressures, such as family dynamics, financial stress, and feelings of grief or loneliness. Yet it is at this time of year that we celebrate the incarnation of the only begotten Son of God. This week we are focusing on Galatians 4:4-5 and thinking of the wonder of what God has done and how he has brought forth his son, a saviour, our redeemer all to make we who are his enemies by our nature his children.


Today from this passage we focus on how all of this unfolding in God’s perfect timing, how he sent forth his son born of a woman. Depending on the translation you use depends on whether you read in the “fullness of time” or “when the time had fully come. This was the beginning of fulfilment of the promise that God had given to our first parents Adam and Eve. We are all familiar with the account of the fall, how sin came into the world and the curse came, what we can easily miss in that account is how God also gave a promise, how he preached the gospel to the Devil of one who would come and crush his head for the serpent was the Devil (Gen 3:15, Rev 12:9). God could there have said, “you blew it, you had your chance” but the LORD our God is gracious and compassionate, he knowing what would happen entered into a covenant of redemption to send forth his son as the one who would bring the decisive blow to the Devil, to deal with sin and the curse. 


The hope of the one who would come in the fullness of time can be traced through Abraham, Moses, with God reaffirming his promises, of one who would come, of how the nations of the earth would be blessed. The promise that was given first to Adam in the garden is built on, the expectation that God would come, that God would work, that God would fulfil his promises in his timing, the prophets spoke to the hope of the child to be born, a son to be given; of how the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called; Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). 


And in the fullness of time the Lord acted. What that means is that sent forth his son. This purposeful act of God was rooted in his grace and compassion towards his image bearers, providing a saviour, in order to save sinners from their sin and death. To free us from our slavery and fear.  He was being sent into the world that he created, emptying himself of his glory, to take on upon himself the form of a servant. In the greatest paradox of the entire history of the world, God send his son, who for our sakes came. 


While at this time of the year we primarily focus on the incarnation, without the crucifixion and the resurrection of the only begotten son then we may as well still be celebrating Saturnalia (that’s the Roman pagan celebration that Christmas replaced). Instead we celebrate the wonder of the incarnation because God sent his son to become sin for us so that while we by nature are his enemies we might become the children of God, children (2 Cor 5:21, Jn 1:13). We should marvel at the wonder of this, in the fullness of time God sent his son, he did it so that we might know salvation instead of the wrath we so deserve.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q45 Which is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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