Oh, welcome back to another episode of Five Minutes in Church History.

Next week is Christmas, and we love Christmas here on five minutes in

church history because so many of the figures we talk about also loved

Christmas. So for this episode I want to bring you three Christmas greetings from our friends in church

history first up is Augustine.

He tells us awake mankind for your sake God has become man.

Awake you who sleep, rise up from the dead and Christ will enlighten you.

I tell you again, for your sake God became man.

You would have suffered eternal death had he not been born in time.

Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh had he not taken on himself the likeness

of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting

unhappiness had it not been for this mercy. You would never have returned to life

had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not

hastened to your aid. You would have perished had he not come. Let us then

joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption.

Let us celebrate the festive day on which he who is the great and eternal day

came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time.

Well, let's move into the 16th century.

If anyone loved Christmas, it was Martin Luther, and he tells us for the very eternal son of the

Eternal Father, through whom heaven and earth were created out of nothing.

He became man. He was born into the world like us. Except that in

him there never was any sin. Therefore we may now boast that God has become our brother, nay our flesh and blood, this great

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