Loved into life (from Helen)

This evening we will begin our Christmas celebrations as we move towards Christmas day tomorrow. We are looking forward and we have filled the crib ready for the arrival of Jesus. 

I often think that I could have been a good Children’s television presenter, as I love stories.  This morning I want to tell you a story, I want us to step back into our childhood and wonder at God and His love for us, as we celebrate Him coming to Earth as one of us. 

I am sure you have all heard of the story of the Velveteen rabbit, but I want to tell it to you again and think of how it relates to Christmas, so in the words of Jackanory “Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.”

One Christmas a little boy had a cuddly velveteen bunny rabbit, which he loved very much.  There was a problem though this rabbit did not feel very special because he could not move like all the other toys that the little boy owned.  The rabbit could not move by itself, it did not have batteries and it did not make a noise. All he could do was be cuddled.

Some of the other toys like a toy car laughed at him and said that he would never be able to play with them as he was not real, he did not have wheels, he could not make a noise, he could not sing, and he did not have proper legs. 

One day the rabbit was so sad that he spoke to one of the oldest toys in the boys’ bedroom a horse, and asked him how he could become real and whatwould make him become real. The horse said that becoming real is not how you are made it happens as a result of being loved.  The horse said that you become real by being loved by another person and this is what makes you special and important.

The velveteen rabbit asked if it hurt to become real and the horse said that sometimes it does but being loved is the best thing. We all know that love can hurt sometimes but I don’t know of anyone who would trade the love they feel to avoid any hurt.

Being loved is what makes us real, it is not just our skin, our hair, our voices it is love. It is about Jesus loving us and looking after us always. 

Jesus came as one of us to show us how to be more like Him, to show us how to become real by loving Him and loving each other.  

At Christmas we remember that God loved us so much He came down to earth as a Baby and lived among us to tell us more about Him and to help us to become real.  To become real by loving and by being loved.

In the story when the rabbit asked about being real he asked if it hurt.  The horse said that sometimes it did hurt especially if the person you love hurts you and is mean to you.

Well, it is hard to be a believer at times and it can be hard to love someone particularly when they are mean to us but it is the most important thing. For it is through loving and taking the risk to love even though we might get hurt that we can become the people we are really meant to be.  The people whom God loved so much He came for us and died and rose again  that we might know Him and have everlasting life.

In the story the little boy was very ill, and his rabbit was taken away from him in case it was the rabbit who had made him ill. This caused the little boy to be sad but the velveteen rabbit did became real because he had been loved into life.

Being loved into life means knowing Jesus and having Him in our lives becoming someone who knows they are loved and in turn wants to love others.

There is a carol called “Love came down at Christmas”,  this reminds us of what we are really celebrating today as we celebrate the life and love shown to us by Jesus becoming one of us.  By Jesus making us real, real enough to know that He loved us so much that although He knew that He would get hurt when people did not love Him back, He still loved.

So this Christmas, remember all the people who are special to you, all the people who love you and remember the greatest gift of all, the gift of life, as we remember that Christmas is all about God coming to us bringing us the best news ever.AMEN