ON December 17 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful flight in history in a self-propelled aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

On their fifth attempt, the plane under the control of Orville embarked on a twelve second flight.

After seeing this, his brother Wilbur rushed to the local telegraph office and sent the following telegram: ‘We have flown for 12 seconds – we will be home for Christmas!’.

Upon receiving the telegram, their sister Katherine went to the newspaper office, told the editor of her brothers’ incredible news, and informed him that they would be home for Christmas if he wanted to interview them.

He responded by saying that was nice and that he would put something in the paper regarding the boys.

On December 19, the local paper placed the following headline on the sixth page of the paper: ‘Wright Brothers home for Christmas’.

The most important story of the year, man’s first flight in a plane and the editor missed it!

Likewise, when it comes to the birth of Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas time, many miss the point of it.

People understand Jesus was born, but they fail to grasp the significance of why?

One of the most explicit statements in the Bible as to why Jesus came is found in 1 Timothy 1:15, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’.

The carol, ‘Hark the Herald Angel Sings’, declares the same truth: “born that man no more may die; born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth”.

It is easy to sing carols like this repeatedly and yet miss the staggering truths they are teaching us.

Think about it, how often do you take a moment amid all the wrapping, the food, and the festivity at Christmas to reflect on your sin and to remember what it cost God to forgive you and rescue you?

The Christmas message is worth celebrating all year long.

If attending church is not a regular activity for you, why not try it once or twice over Christmas.

Getting to know the God who was willing to send Jesus to die for your sins is the best thing you can do with your life.

Merry Christmas.

By Ross PETHYBRIDGE, Pastor at Gateway Presbyterian.