LEIGH BAPTIST CHURCH “MESSENGER” DECEMBER 2025
VERNON ST / CHURCH ST. LEIGH. WN7 1BH
Website : www.leighbaptistchurch.org.uk Contact: admin@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Pastoral Leader – Val Hulme ( Days Off Tues and Fridays)
email : pastoral.leader@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk TEL 07817142192
Check LBC website for updates and info also LBC FACEBOOK page
Dates for your Diary:
Sat 6th Dec 10am-12noon Putting up Christmas Decorations (all help welcome)
All Singers Great and Small will be performing their Christmas Concert at Leigh Baptist Church on Wednesday 10th December, 7:30 pm. Please join us and bring a friend, Tickets £5.00.
Two Miraculous Births
In Advent it is customary to have a different theme each Sunday, including Jesus’ Second Coming, the Word of God, John the Baptist, and Mary’s Faith, then on Christmas Day we have the Birth of Jesus. As prophesied in Isaiah and other prophets, St Luke tells of two instances of an Angel announcing the news that a child would be born in miraculous circumstances. It is difficult to mention one without the other.
The announcement of the birth of John the Baptist came to an elderly priest named Zacharias when he was by the altar in the temple ready to burn the incense. He had been chosen by drawing a lot for this special annual honour. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him with a message from God, telling him that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son to be called John, who would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He would bring many people back to the Lord. Zacharius could not believe that this could happen because he was old and Elizabeth was barren. Because he questioned the news he became dumb and could not speak. Elizabeth praised the Lord when she realised she was pregnant and said, “He has taken away my disgrace among the people.” (Luke 1:3-23)
Six months later the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was engaged to Joseph, to tell her that because she had ‘found favour with God’ she would have a son to be called Jesus who ‘would be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end’. Mary asked how this would happen as she was a virgin, and was told that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the baby would be called the Son of God. She was also told about her cousin Elizabeth’s baby, “for nothing is impossible with God.” Mary believed the angel and said. “May it be to me as you have said.” After this she went to visit Elizabeth in ‘a town in the Hill country of Judah’. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting she was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit and said, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” She said that the baby in her womb had leapt for joy when he heard Mary’s greeting. Mary then said the well known words of the Magnificat, “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”, as can be read in Luke 1:46-55.
Eight days after Elizabeth’s baby was born he was circumcised and was given his name. Relatives and friends wanted him to be called after his father, but Elizabeth said his name was John, then Zachariah wrote on a tablet, “His name is John.” Immediately he could speak again and praised God so that all who were present wondered what was so special about this child. Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied how God would raise up someone in the house of David to rescue and redeem his people and that John would “be called a prophet of the Most High” who would go “before the Lord to prepare the way for Him” by “giving His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins”. Then “the rising sun” would “come from Heaven to shine on those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death” and to guide us “into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:57- 79)
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus and many nativity plays and carol services take place. His name was given on the eighth day at the time of His circumcision. When Mary’s purification was completed she and Joseph took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem ‘to present him to the Lord and offer a sacrifice of two doves or young pigeons’. A man named Simeon, to whom it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until He had seen the Lord’s Christ, came in. He took Jesus in His arms, praised God that he could now die in peace because he had seen God’s salvation, “a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.” (The Nunc Dimittis) Simeon was followed by a prophetess, Anna, who also gave thanks for the one who would bring redemption. (Luke 2:1-40) As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour this Christmas let us read about all that took place at that time in Israel and rededicate ourselves to Him and in His service. Happy Christmas to you all, Kathie.