Sermon: Christmas Eve

Date Preached: Monday December 24tb 2007 - Christmas Eve

Bible Reference: John Chapter 3, Verses3

It is so great to see everybody here tonight. And may I take this opportunity to wish you all a peace-full Christ-mas. This is a good place to be isn’t it? – worth suspending the craziness for a nanosecond -  and just for few stolen moments a chance to make sure the person – Jesus Christ - gets back into XMAS (such are the pressures to rename this Christian festival Winterval or whatever, “so’s not to offend” – oh and also the £75 billion we’ve spent on it this year!).

(Do you know) I’m indebted to Borders (bookstore) just down the road for the great Christmas ideas the store often gives me – although I’m not sure they always get the irony of their advertisements. Two Christmases ago they had a poster in the window which read: “Drown out the carol singers; have you had enough of silent nights?” – and guess what it was advertising? The Darkness’s new CD – One way ticket to hell and back.” (Love the irony don’t you?). But this year they’ve been really helpful in telling us all to “Find something different this Christmas”. I’m not sure they have exactly the same idea as me, but I’ll use the help anyway!

This time last year of course in a survey of primary school children when the kids were asked what was the most important thing they were aiming for in their lives, it was all about getting rich or being a celebrity. Mind you things were more positive when they were asked who is the most important person? Because God did come out on top – by the way that was the good news –the bad news was that running God a close second was? – yep - Wayne Rooney!

Scarier still was the 9 year old boy from a school in the East End of London who came to his Christian teacher after seeing a school nativity play for the very first time with a couple of questions he seemed desperate for her to answer. “First miss” (he said) “why ain’t I never ‘eard that story before?” And then: “Miss, why did they have to give the baby a swear word for a name?”

So to some Christmas may be an old, familiar story: but not everyone.

And just to share a bit more high brow cultural comment (!) – there was an article by Libby Purves in Tuesday’s Times that picked up on the delightful news that Richard Dawkins – you know the well known professional atheist and author of “The God Delusion” who dismissed all faith as harmless nonsense and the great cop-out – well - that Dawkins liked singing carols in church like everybody else.

Have you wondered why do we all love doing this? The church was more or less full this afternoon for our carols around the crib. Year after year church attendance continues to defy the trends. Here’s what the article said: “I suspect that many approach church in a spirit of cautious unexpressed hope – willing to leave the door open just a crack to the possibility that there might be something or Someone (capital S) out there, beyond it all, incapable of being pinned down by science or reason but nonetheless wonderful and good.”

For centuries now Christmas has been synonymous with the giving and receiving of gifts – and rightly so because our traditions follow the greatest gift of Christmas; a gift that went way beyond all our expectations. But wouldn’t you agree that with all the commercial hard sell it’s in danger of being missed? 

And why does missing it become so easy?

Well because no one EXPECTED GOD TO COME LIKE THAT – TO BE SO VULNERABLE. The story starts right back at the beginning of human history and tells us that everything started well and then went horribly pear-shaped – and we got so tangled up in habits and attitudes that trapped us and damaged us that we couldn’t get out again. I wonder if you’re feeling a bit like that tonight? The story goes on to say something strange and surprising. It’s God who takes the initiative and steps in to sort it all out. But he doesn’t do it like some kind of super hero. He enters our world as a human baby, helpless and needy like all babies. That’s the significance of a baby born in poor surroundings – in a smelly stable; and that’s why the angels decided to go to the riff-raff of society – to the shepherds, not royalty - to announce the baby king’s birth.

As Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury) said in today’s Times “The Christmas story doesn’t try to explain how it works. It just says that now Jesus’ story has started, nothing will be the same again. Christmas reminds us of a God:

• who is completely committed to the weakest;

• who uses power only so that human life can be fuller, more peaceful and more generous;

• a God who gives us the help we need to make our relationships stable and faithful and who requires of us a complete honesty about ourselves – and gently, steadily chips away at all our self-deceptions.” 

This gift of Jesus is one that completely exceeds our deepest hopes and expectations. I’m sure many have seen the wonder in a child’s eyes when they discover something unexpected? When my son Joel was about three and he thought he’s come to the end of unwrapping his presents Sue and I used some excuse to send him into the kitchen and he came back white as a sheet having discovered a brand new bike – ah! Those priceless moments.

And yet even these times are poor reflections of just how incredibly lavish God’s love is for us – The gospel writer John puts it this way in chapter 3:16 God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son – that whoever entrusts their life to him will not perish but have eternal life.

This isn’t like that present (you know the one – the one you can’t wait to get into the shops on Boxing Day to exchange – “gee thanks it’s what I always wanted”).

And I guess this is the main point – that in a transient world of throwaway things and transient relationships that Jesus promises never to leave us – something that’s never past it’s sell-by-date, ‘old hat’, or un-cool - and never in danger of breaking down – because its not perishable. The Archbish’ ends his article with a great joke (well for an archbishop anyway). He says “God is for life, not just for Christmas!” (Think about it)              

And what’s so amazing about this gift is its one we don’t get because we deserve it, but simply because God loves us. If I’ve heard this once over the last few weeks I must have heard it dozens of times – stressed-out parents as a last resort blackmailing their children not to be brats. “Santa’s not going to come if you’re naughty..”

But listen to this from Paul’s letter to Titus in the New Testament as we close: When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy – his amazing love. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit

So let’s be careful not to romanticize the stable scene. This baby Jesus came with a job to do:

to carry the can for all our wrongdoing

to die on a cross to break the power in ourselves that seemingly always wants to self-destruct

and to bring us under a new reign where love and justice prevail – where we feel a connection and responsibility to those around us – and where (mercifully) we don’t have to struggle for an identity based on how we look or how much we earn, or how famous we are.

Just look inside yourselves for a moment. Is there a deep desire to experience the glory for which we were made, but only get glimpses of? So let’s take Borders seriously – let’s discover something new this Christmas – let’s discover the love of God in Jesus Christ for ourselves - personally. Amen