The free gift, the greatest gift

If you listen to music at this time of year one of the songs you will hear played quite a lot is the Band Aid song ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’. And many of you will know the first line of that song, ‘It’s Christmas time and there’s no need to be afraid…’

Of course we know that for many people Christmas is a time of feeling afraid and it has, it seems, always been so – When Isaiah foretold the birth of Jesus he described Him as light coming into darkness, and perhaps most famously of all as the Angel appeared to Mary she was told ‘do not be afraid’ – after all she was a young unmarried virgin engaged to a carpenter who wasn’t the father of the baby and getting pregnant in those circumstances was reason for being stoned to death at the time… why should she worry !!!

And then there is the angel who appeared to the shepherds and again offered the words, ‘Do not be afraid…’ I wonder how many of us on a dark mountain top wouldn’t be afraid if we heard an angel speaking to us !!!

And yet what is strange about all those verses is that there is actually a response which leads people not to be afraid…. The prophet Isaiah writes that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light – in other words, this light has changed their lives. From situations of fear or worry, there is peace…

And Mary, who had every reason to worry didn’t – she listened to God and she knew his plan would work however strange it seemed to her at the time…. And the shepherds were also told not to be afraid, and instead of either thinking they were seeing things or brushing it all off and doing nothing, went down to the stable to find a Saviour… they brushed aside fear, they looked and they found….

There’s a story of a man called Arthur who loved fishing and spent a lot of time out doing it, but there was one problem – he was bad at it and never caught anything ! One very wet and cold day though as he was sitting by the river he felt something tugging on his fishing line – he was shocked but excited – he remembered all he’d been told about how to haul in the fish, but as he drew the line from the water he noticed that all there was on the end of it was an old wig.

And so, fed up, he decided to go home – really miserable ! And as the rain got heavier and he got colder so he decided to put on the wig which had just about dried out in his bag, and he began to think. He said to himself ‘I wish when I got home there was a lovely roast beef dinner ready for me’, but then he thought ‘there won’t be though because my wife never cooks a roast for me’.

But when he went in the house, he could smell a roast, and sure enough his wife had cooked roast beef for him !

Later as he was rather full after the meal, he decided he would take a walk. He couldn’t find his hat, so he decided to put on the wig again to keep warm, and as he went out he wished that the rain would stop and the sun would come out, and sure enough it did !

And he realised that whatever he wished for came true if he put on the wig, and so the following day he thought he’d like to go and have tea at Buckingham Palace with the Queen – on went the wig and sure enough he was off to see the Queen. As he was leaving he thought he really liked the Palace and so he made another wish, and that was that he could be where the greatest king that has ever lived was born.

And then he woke up, in a stable surrounded by animals and smelling, well, just like a stable really !

And it dawned on him where he was because in the back of his mind somewhere with a whole lot of things in the way of it was the knowledge that Jesus is the greatest king that has ever lived.

He came without any riches, he came without an army… he came, born to people who were poor, born in a stable, born seemingly without a chance of making a difference in his own town, let alone the whole world.

And yet 2000 years on we celebrate his birth, and we know that he has changed the lives of millions of people since that time, and we know, maybe sometimes only in the back of our minds, that he is the greatest king that has ever lived…

And this king wants to share our lives with us. He wants us to take down the walls that separate us from him – this is the king who came into the world at the first Christmas to bring peace, to bring hope and joy and unlimited love…

Tonight, we join with millions of Christians worldwide as we reflect on God’s greatest gift. The gift of Jesus…

This week marked the end of something which has been pretty significant for many people for many years, in fact over 50 years. It was of course the end of the tolls charged on the Severn Bridge. From the time of the opening of the first bridge back in 1966 until this week motorists have paid to cross the original bridge and later of course, the second Severn Crossing. Many of you will I’m sure have fumbled around in your pockets around about the Bath exit of the motorway to look for change, and now all that has changed…

What was pretty costly is now free… And that is one of the messages of Christmas, this little child born in humble surroundings changed everything and offered a free gift to every person - the gift of life here and now and life into all eternity.... 

One of my favourite parts of the Christmas season is Charles Dickens’ novel, ‘A Christmas Carol’. It is of course the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the man who hated Christmas and everything to do with it, until he was visited by three spirits, the spirit of Christmas past, the spirit of Christmas present and the spirit of the Christmases yet to come.

This novel is particularly symbolic as many of us will I suspect, stop at some time just for a moments thought or reflection on the past, the present and the future.

Looking back we may think of wonderful Christmas celebrations, of happy times with loved ones, of great presents, perhaps great parties… We may think of holidays we have taken or people we have met…

But Christmas isn’t always easy and it isn’t always a happy time but it is into this darkness that Jesus came as light – He came into a world that was struggling, filled with conflict and oppression, poverty and pain… He came into a huge mess to offer a way of clearing it up!

Christmas is often portrayed with pretty scenes of peace and joy, but that isn’t the world Jesus stepped into and it isn’t the world today, but as He did then Jesus has come bringing peace and love and hope and joy…

Because, amidst all of the problems we face or others have faced Jesus brings an incredible message of good news of great joy… the greatest Christmas gift of all, the free gift of his love…

There’s a story about a boy who had recently passed his driving test and decided to ask his father if there was any chance of him getting a car for Christmas, which was yet some months away.

'Okay.' said his father 'I tell you what I'll do. If you can get your 'A' level grades up to 'A's and 'B's, study your bible and get your hair cut, I'll consider the matter very seriously.'

A couple of months later the boy went back to his father who said 'I'm really impressed by your commitment to your studies. Your grades are excellent and the work you have put into your bible studies is very encouraging. However, I have to say I'm very disappointed that you haven't had your hair cut yet.

But this was a smart young man who was never lost for an answer. 'Look dad, in the course of my bible studies I've noticed in the illustrations that Moses, John the Baptist, Samson and even Jesus had long hair.' 'Yes. I'm aware of that...' replied his father '... but did you also notice they walked wherever they went?'

We have been given a gift with no conditions… The future with Jesus may be unpredictable, we may have uncertain times, it may have sadness, it may have disappointments, as well as hopefully many joys, but Jesus is the God of the past, the present and the future, and whatever it is that we have to face in our lives, Jesus has been there, is there, and will be there.

As we think of Jesus his love for us demands a response – one of the loveliest carols sung at Christmas is, ‘In the bleak midwinter’, and the one verse that says,

‘What can I give him, poor as I am ?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.’

Every one of us at this Christmas time can do that – give our hearts and our lives to Jesus – the God who has seen our past, who has been there for us, whether we realised it or not, throughout our lives; the God of the present, who is alongside us today, and the God of the future, who promises never to leave us.

The novel ‘A Christmas Carol’ finishes with the words of Tiny Tim, ‘God bless Us, Every One!’ – And so, do not be afraid, and as we trust him, may God indeed bless us… every one, this Christmas time and always ! AMEN