The Message of Christmas

This is Carols by Candlelight 2006. But why 2006? Why not date our years from the foundation of Rome or the French Revolution or Mohammed's Flight or the Buddha's birth?

It is because Jesus Christ who was born 2000 years ago, as has been sung, ...

... is God and Lord of all.

As we heard in our first reading:

The Word was God ... and the Word became flesh.

He was both truly God (the Son) and truly man. You can talk about Alexander the Great, Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great, but not Jesus the Great. He is not "the Great" but "the Only". He has no equals and no successors. That is why this is 2006. But you ask, "Is that true?" The answer has to be "Yes!" The early Christians were not uncritical. They did not believe just anything. There were (and are) reasons for believing in Jesus Christ.

First, there is Jesus' resurrection from the dead. His tomb was empty and he was seen by many witnesses. That has convinced, and still convinces, many.

Secondly, there were the ancient prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ and him alone. One was read earlier. Eight centuries before Christ Isaiah spoke of a unique child who would be called...

Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Thirdly, the Christian lifestyle commended Jesus Christ. Pagans saw how caring Christians were. They said: "see how they love one another."

Millions upon millions then, and since, with reason have trusted Christ and believed in the God of the Bible. In the words of Pascal, a French philosopher, each person has "a God-shaped blank in their heart". The message of Christmas is that Jesus Christ alone can fill that blank. Money cannot; success cannot; pleasure cannot; other religions and philosophies cannot; even other Christians cannot. It is Christ alone who can, by his Holy Spirit. But how? Let me give you three answers.

First, THE COMING OF CHRIST MEANS HELP IN NEED

The Bible says that through Christ we "can find grace to help in our time of need" (Heb 4.16). And Jesus still says:

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11.28).

Certainly people need his help and rest this month - not least with stress. There is great stress, for example, in the Post Office. In a main sorting office last December 1 million items were handled each day. One day they had 1000 items that could not be delivered - from cards addressed only to "Mum and Dad" to two fresh fish with only a surname attached! According to Greenwich University seasonal stress began this year on 2nd December. Apparently shopping and cooking cause most stress at Christmas. But there are more serious stresses and worries.

Ken Watt, Father Christmas in Hamleys Toy Shop, London, tells how he asked a little boy what he wanted for Christmas. The reply was, "I just want my dad back from Iraq." "It really threw me," said Ken Watt.

I'll do my best [is all he could say] and maybe talk to some people out there when I'm delivering to Iraqi children."

He then had to take a break "because," he said, "I was so choked up." But Christmas means you can trust God, when there are great worries and fears. There is help as you realize...

... Secondly, THE COMING OF CHRIST MEANS GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THIS CONFUSED WORLD

He is in control and sovereign over the wider world and over your world. And his plans and purposes are good. Christ was born, we are told, when ...

Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world (and) Quirinius was governor of Syria.

That was no accident. It was exactly the right time. God was, indeed, in control. St Paul says:

when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman" (Gal 4.4).

The empires or rule of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and now Rome one after the other had been found wanting. For all their military skill and cultural brilliance their religions had been dark and without hope. But 2000 years ago came Augustus and the Pax Romana - the Roman Peace. There was now relative order and freedom to travel. The early Christians could carry the good news about Jesus to the farthest frontiers of the known world. Yes, God was, and is, in control of his world. Nothing happened, or happens, without his permission.

Here were Joseph and Mary travelling South to Bethlehem to register in the census. That, too, was no accident. Another prophet, centuries before Christ, had foretold that the birth of the Messiah would not be in the North, in Nazareth, where Mary lived, but in Bethlehem.

You, Bethlehem Ephrathah … out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old" (Micah 5.2).

Little did Augustus and his provincial governor, Quirinius, realize their census was all part of God's good plan. God's sovereignty is real. So, at the same time, is human freedom. That is the mystery. Both are true. But it is human freedom that can lead to sin and suffering.

What ultimately is behind the tragedies of Iraq - the deaths of American, British and other military personnel, together with the deaths of 1000's of Iraqis? The Bible answers the question, "What causes fights and quarrels among you?" with these words:

Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" (Jas 4.1).

You cannot blame God for the results of human freedom and selfish desires. And we are all guilty - even at Christmas time.

According to research from Digital UK released last week, a fifth of family rows this Christmas will be over what to watch on TV. 14 percent of arguments will be over doing the washing up. 11 percent will be about an old family issue; and ten percent about what presents to open, only board games prompt more arguments than TV - 24 percent. Human conflict (major and minor) and our disobeying God also makes the message of Christmas so vital. For ...

... Thirdly, THE COMING OF CHRIST MEANS FORGIVENESS AND NEW POWER

The message of the Angels to the shepherds said it all:

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

The baby was not only "the Lord" - the divine name for God - and God come in the flesh. He was also "the Saviour". Joseph, we are told in Matthew's Gospel, was to call the baby...

Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matt 1.21).

Nor are there short cuts in God's dealing with sin. There are short cuts to many things - even to stop the needles dropping off your Christmas tree. The prize this year surely goes to a life-size Christmas tree poster to hang on your wall for £12.95! But there are no short cuts in dealing with sin. It needed the death of Christ to save us from God's judgment. Ever since the first man and women disobeyed God, we all have followed in their steps and caused, as we sang, "the woes of sin and strife". But the good news of Christmas is that Christ was born to die instead of us. He bore on his Cross the guilt of our "sin and strife". And he rose again and now lives, and gives to those who believe in him, for this life, new power and for the next, a sure and certain hope of heaven. As we sing in our final carol, he brings "light and life" by his Holy Spirit. So how do you respond to Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate on 25th December?

First, you can be like the innkeeper. Jesus was placed in a manger...

because there was no room ... in the inn.

The inn keeper was probably not hostile. It was just that the inn was crowded. Millions are like that today. Their lives are too crowded with other things. They have no time for Jesus Christ.

Secondly, you can be like Herod. He was hostile. In fact he tried to kill Jesus. And today there are people like that. They are positively anti-Christ. Some want to take Christ out of Christmas.

But, then, you can be like Simeon. A few days after his birth Jesus was taken to the Temple. There an old man (called Simeon) took the Christ-child in his arms, praised God, and said:

my eyes have seen your salvation" (Lk 2.30).

That was a response of true faith. May we, this Christmas, also see Jesus Christ as God's salvation; and so trust him as our Saviour from sin, and obey him as our Lord and God.