Christmas Morning 2007

This morning I want to repeat the story you’ve just heard in the gospel reading (Luke 2:1-14), but it’s told slightly differently. This account of the birth of Jesus was written by an 8 year old girl, a member of the Sunday School here.

It reads :-

“Many, many years ago there was a young lady called Mary. She lived in Nazareth. Also in Nazareth there lived a man called Joseph. Mary and Joseph were going to get married. When Mary was alone a very bright light came down from the skies. It was a messenger from God. Mary covered her eyes. The Angel said, ‘do not be afraid’.

Mary uncovered her eyes and saw Angel Gabriel standing before her. ‘I have come with a message from God. You have gained his trust and are going to give birth to the king of the world. You will call him Jesus.’

Then, a rule came out that every person has to go back to where they were born, so Mary and Joseph now married, travelled to Bethlehem. Mary was sitting on a small donkey, Joseph was trudging wearily alongside her.

When they were at Bethlehem at every house and inn they were answered by a rude ‘go away we are full’ or ‘go away or we will shut the door in your face’, but at last they came to a kind inn keeper who said ‘I have no rooms left but you can go in my barn. There is lots of room there and the ox and the donkey are very gentle and will keep you warm’

As soon as they were warm baby Jesus was born. Mary wrapped him up in clothes. At exactly the same time some shepherds saw a very bright light in the sky. They covered their eyes and guarded their sheep. Then the light started to talk. It said, ‘Do not be afraid, a baby has this night been born. He is the new king’.

So they went to see baby Jesus. Then far in the east 3 wise men saw the bright light and looked up what it meant. It meant that a new king had been born. They went to tell King Herod the news. ‘Go and find him and come back to me and tell me where he is’. The wise men followed the star and found baby Jesus, giving him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

But they did not tell king Herod where he was because they knew that he wanted to kill him, so they went home a different way.

Jesus grew up to be king of the world. The End.“

I think it’s a wonderful retelling of the Christmas story, and as with many children, the girl who wrote it has really got down to the basics of what’s important – ‘Jesus grew up to be king of the world. The End’ !

At Christmas it’s easy to concentrate on the simple message of love and peace and goodwill towards all people, and that’s a good message to follow, but we must take it further than Christmas. In the birth of Jesus we see all kinds of characters who are regarded as outcasts in the society in which they live, and we’re reminded that the gospel, the good news of Jesus, is for all of them and for all of us.

If we are to take the words ‘Jesus grew up to be king of the world’ as important in our lives, then that phrase must have huge implications as we cast over our lives to him, and seek his support and his guidance in all that we do.

The joy of Christmas is Jesus coming into the world as a Saviour, but it is a joy that we are wasting if we are only celebrating at Christmas – Jesus came to bring peace and joy and love for all time, and for all people, and he came to penetrate every part of our lives with those things, and he came to give us the strength to live out his message and share those things with people around us.

Jesus grew up to be king of the world ! It is a title that he will never lose. It is a title that challenges us to ask ourselves if as well as being king of the world, he is actually king of our hearts and our lives? AMEN