All evidence points to one special day

Muthill with Trinity Gask and Kinkell Parish Churches - Rev Klaus Buwert

A smart wee boy at our Scripture Union group in the church jumped up while we were talking about something completely different, and pointed to the Bible timeline on the wall.

He pointed to the picture of the birth of Jesus and said:“It says here that Jesus was born in 5 BC. How could Jesus be born then if BC means before Christ?“Here’s the answer. It was over 500 years later that a man called Dionysius devised the new dating system. Apparently he based it on the years of Roman consuls, working backwards. These records were not all complete or accurate.

Since then scholars have related the birth, life and death of Jesus to other events in the ancient world which are dateable. The Bible says John the Baptist preached during the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Jesus stood trial before Pontius Pilate. But the gospels don’t say how old Jesus was at any of these events. So scholars are still not entirely sure which was the actual year of Jesus’birth, and they don’t all agree, but the consensus is about 5 BC.

Two things are important though. One, despite the uncertainties about dates - there is enough historical evidence that Jesus was born and lived as the gospels tell us.

Two - Jesus has made such an impact on the world that history is divided into two parts, before and after Jesus.

Two thousand years later churches in every country of the world are still celebrating this event.

In Muthill there will be a nativity service on Christmas Eve at 11.30am. In Trinity Gask church there is a Watchnight service at 7pm (mince pies and refreshments at 6.30pm), and a later Watchnight service at Muthill from 11pm.

On Christmas Day there is an all-age service at 10am in Muthill.

Everyone welcome.