Today, the saviour is born, the life of the world, the hope of the world, the Emmanuel has come, God is with us!

To try and feel a sense of the significance of the birth of the Messiah, consider for a moment the experience of the Wild Boar soccer team, whose story captured the world after they ventured into an underground Thai cave. They had only expected to be there for an hour or so, but flood waters quickly trapped them in with very little supplies, and no possibility of escape. With no daylight, they had no sense of time passing, and by the sixth day, it was becoming clear that they were likely to die together, alone, in the dark, wet cave. Imagine the horror for these teenage boys.

It would be on the eighth day in the cave that the darkness would be broken by a light. A light came through the water. Then, the water was broken, and there appeared a diver. In that moment, the boys moved from darkness to light, from despair to hope, the possibility of rescue was real, they were lost, but now they were found. Nonetheless, meeting the rescuer would only be the beginning – each of the 13 boys would have to be willing to trust the rescuer, put their life in the hands of the rescuer, and follow the rescuer to be saved.

It would be another six days later that all 13 boys would emerge from the caves. It was such a relief, such a joy, such a celebration – it was all over the TV and social media – it was a great day!

The Thai Cave incident is somewhat of a parable for us all. You and I are like those 13 boys trapped in darkness with no hope of salvation. Like them, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We’re lost, broken, and in need of redemption.

Jesus is like our very own Thai Cave rescuer. He comes to us through the darkness and hopelessness and offers us light and salvation. Like the Thai cave rescuer, he invites us to follow him, he asks us to trust him and do what he says! He asks us to put our lives in his hands. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. This rescuer, Jesus, is our salvation, our ever-present help in times of need, our strong tower, our refuge, and our hope.

He comes to us today as an infant, a newborn, humbly held in the arms of Mary. But don’t be mistaken by the scenery. This child is not simply another cute infant. He is the Christ, the son of the living God, he is the light that shines in our darkness, the hope of the world, the Emmanuel has come. God is with us; Christmas is merry!

by Br Damien Price cfc