Christmas Day Address

Christmas is weird, isn't it?

There's lots of weird things about Christmas.

It's the only time of the year we chop down a tree

and some families set fire

to their Christmas pudding.

Any families here that set fire?

That is great.

Traditionalists.

Weird things about Christmas.

Things that we don't understand.

But there's nothing compared

to the very first Christmas.

The very first Christmas

was really weird, wasn't it?

There was a star

above Bethlehem.

There were wise men that brought presents

that cost thousands

and thousands of thousands of parents

to a family they'd never met before

and they didn't know.

None of those things happened

when I had a baby.

No shepherds turned up.

I didn't have a baby.

No, my wife turned a baby.

Shepherds didn't turn up.

Wiser men didn't turn up.

Why did they happen?

Why did all these weird things happen

at that first Christmas?

Well, because the baby is an incredible infant.

That's the first thing I've got to say today.

An incredible infant.

We saw that in the reading, didn't we?

The name that Mary and Joseph

gave to their baby

was Jesus.

He was going to give birth to a son

and his name shall be Jesus.

Which means,

the word Jesus means God saves.

It's a strange name, isn't it?

It's like calling your child fireman.

Fireman.

God saves.

And Jesus showed everyone

he was God the saviour.

This baby is God.

Now that explains some weird things.

He is an incredible infant.

It explains the star in the sky.

God is entering this world.

The wise men, the angels.

And I think, don't you,

I think it would be very weird

if weird things didn't happen

when God entered the world.

He is the king of the universe.

Christmas, that first Christmas,

is a big fuss

because the creator

is entering his creation.

Jesus is God.

Is there a God?

You might ask that.

Well, Jesus shows what God is like.

Just look at Jesus

in the pages of the Bible.

And there is nothing

un-God-like in Jesus.

An incredible infant.

An incredible infant,

secondly,

who had a low-down life.

The Christmas story

is not just about

the amazing things, is it?

It's not just about the star

and the wise men

and the gifts

and the shepherds

and choirs of angels.

The story of Christmas

is very humble.

It's very lowly.

They end up in someone else's house.

On someone else's floor.

Maybe even sharing a room

with sheep and with goats

and with cows.

Or, as you know,

the baby is put in a manger.

There's no talk of a cattle shed.

But there is talk of a manger.

He's put in a feeding trough.

It's very, very lowly.

It's meant to jar us.

It's not what you would expect

when God comes to the world.

Now, you sing a song, don't you,

in Christ,

Christ,

and Son of the Spirit.

My God is so

big, so

and so

there's nothing my

the

the

the

the stars are his

my God is so

so

and so mighty.

There's nothing my God can do.

Now I'm going to teach you two new verses, okay?

Here's a few verses.

Okay?

Here they are.

This verse says,

My God is so small

so weak

and so helpless

there's nothing that God child can do.

Is that alright?

My God is so small

so weak and so helpless

there's nothing that God child can do.

The mountains are his

the rivers are his

the stars are his handiwork too.

But my God is so small

so weak and so helpless

there's nothing my God

will not do for you.

And that's the story of Christmas, isn't it?

The God is so big

so strong

so mighty

becomes

so small

so weak

and so helpless.

And the God child

lies in a manger

and there's nothing

he can do.

But wonderfully

that God child

is so small

so weak

and so helpless

there's nothing

that he will not do for you.

Jesus had a low young life

his dad was a carpenter.

Lots of people didn't like him

there's nothing special about him.

The people he went to

were not the rich

and the famous

they were

the lowly

and the humble

and the poor.

people that you and I

might think

oh

they believe me

but not for Jesus.

Jesus is God

he could have

hanged out with angels

couldn't he

but he hanged out

with losers.

And in the end

he died on the cross

now why

is he dying on the cross?

So the incredible infant

the lowly life

would be the Greek gift.

Great Christmas gifts

is brilliant isn't it?

What's been your favourite

gift of the morning?

So don't tell me.

Peter

what was your favourite

gift this morning?

Your white

Debbie

what was your favourite

gift this morning?

Do you have an opener?

All these traditionalists

John

a bike racing

blu-ray

have you opened

your presents yet

Marius?

What was your favourite

present this morning?

A jumper

it's a very nice

jumper isn't it?

Everybody compliment

what about you

Rebecca?

What was yours?

A face

meeting

face painting

set

face painting

sounds

to death

is it?

It's great

gifts

great gifts

sometimes boring

presents

imagine you

got up this

morning

and there was

a parcel

at the end

of your bed

and you opened

it up

and it was

washing up

liquid

boring presents

I bought

Clara Blender

once

Jesus comes

to bring you

rescue

rescue

what a rubbish

gift

rubbish

gift

but it is

actually the

greatest gift

you should

call his

name

Jesus

for he

will

save

his

people

from

their

sins

and

Jesus

means

God

saves

but here's

the thing

you might be sitting here this morning

and you might think

I don't need that gift

I don't need it

but let me say this to you

you could go without any present

that you will have today

you could go without the greatest present

that you've got

but you cannot do without this present

for us

because he will save his people

from their sins

what is sin?

sin is living life without God

we wake up

we get on with our day

we brush our teeth

we get out of the house

we go on our way

and we don't think

of God

God is the God of all

he gave us everything

we enjoy

he should be our God

so how do you think

God feels

when we live life

without thanking him

without honouring him

and in fact

we just ignore him

how do we treat people

we don't like?

we never thank them

we never bother with them

in fact we just try to avoid them

sometimes we even ignore them

it's like I invite you

to my house

for Christmas day

and I welcome you in

and as soon as you're in

you open the front door

and you push me

out of my own house

and you lock the door

and you throw away the key

and I'm outside

of my own home

and that is how we treat God

and we need rescuing

from that

from ourselves

the angels tell us

that he came to save us

from our sins

that he came to take

the punishment

that we deserve

for pushing them out

and locking the door

the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ

is a little bit like a key

it's a little bit like the key

that unlocks the door

that you pushed God out of

and that door

opens that door

so God can come in

and we can be friends

and know him forever

and that's what Christmas is about

it is about God's invitation

to be friends with him

and it's invitation

for all people

for people who come to church

every week

for people who come to church

maybe just once a year

you can have this gift

this gift is for you

simply by acknowledging

the reality of how you've lived

that you've lived life

without paying any attention

to his son

and saying sorry

and asking to be forgiven

and if we will mean it

God will say yes

Christmas makes us do

weird things

people sing songs

and love singing songs

they don't believe in

things they don't do

for the rest of the year

they decorate their house

in a way that they never

decorated in February

or January

they send cards to people

that they can't even remember

who they are

we eat turkey

when none of us really like it

and maybe today

you can do something else

that you wouldn't normally do

that you think

may be a little bit weird

you've been thinking

about the Lord Jesus

God has come to save us

in his son

if we could save ourselves

he wouldn't need to have

sent his son

God came to save us

through Jesus

and whatever gifts

you get this year

and I hope you get

who you want it

I hope you get great gifts

I hope you have a great day

but even the greatest gift

that you get today

doesn't compare

with the greatest gift

of knowing God

through Jesus

because we have treated him

like an enemy

and we can leave here today

knowing him as our friend

and so I want to wish you

a very very happy Christmas

but I want you to think

and I want you to consider

Christ Jesus came into this world

to see the sinners

let's pray