The Real Meaning of Christmas

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The Rev. Dick Tripp, a retired Anglican minister in the Diocese of Christchurch, has brought to us an excellent book with biblical background to the Christmas event, based on years of study and evangelism. The reader soon appreciates how widely Dick has read on the subject both in Scripture itself and the insights of others. From his contact with people in the parish when he was a Vicar he has been able to share valuable insights about the birth of his personal Saviour and Lord.

I found three parts of his writing especially helpful and readers will certainly be enlightened by other parts themselves.

Firstly, in the chapter ‘Why it matters who Jesus was’, there is the use of the suffering of Job to help us understand why God had to become man. He quotes Job 9.33-35 "If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay a hand on us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more." It is Jesus' capacity as both fully human and fully divine that he is able to be the perfect high priest and advocate for me in the presence of God.

Secondly, in the chapter ‘Why the virgin birth makes sense’, he quotes an illustration that appeals to me as one who has shown in physics that light is both a wave and a particle phenomena. This helps us understand the two natures of Christ.

Thirdly, in the chapter ‘What the virgin birth reveals’, under the sub-heading ‘Jesus is Lord of creation’, Dick gives a delightful Scriptural background to the reason for animals to be depicted in nativity scenes, though there is no mention of them in the Gospels.

Near the end of the book Dick Tripp makes the observation that the miracle of the virgin birth is much easier to grasp if someone has been born again themselves, coming to know Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and Lord.

Bishop Henry Paltridge, formerly of the Anglican Diocese of Meru in Kenya.