Christmas Foretold

Maybe the most famous character in the Christmas story outside of Jesus is the virgin Mary. While a virgin giving birth is surprising, what’s more surprising is that God predicted it hundreds of years before it happened. Come consider the significance of this miraculous story.

When Matthew sets out to prove that Jesus’ birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, he pointed to Hosea 11 and the phrase, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” We normally assume that refers to God calling Jesus and his parents out of Egypt when Herod died, but it means much more. Come discover what Jesus’ journey out of Egypt means for our own journey out of captivity and into hope.

In looking at how Jesus’ birth fulfilled the prophecy of the Old Testament, we often overlook the clear and compelling description of the verse that calls the Messiah, “everlasting Father.” What did Isaiah mean, and what significance does it have for us as we try to understand the miracle of Christmas? We’ll consider just that question this weekend.