Christmas..time to make us think.

It is that time of year again, the last twelve months seem to have flown by. I guess not having much of a summer this year makes the last year feel all very much the same, it would be nice to have the seasons back like I remember them from my childhood, with a long hot summer and then a cold winter with snow. I guess we will get the snow in February time like we often do, I remember this as it sometimes snows around my birthday, anyway looks like there are no Christmas Snowmen again!

The talk of snow, the pictures on Christmas cards, the tinsel, the mince pies - are all things which people traditionally associate with Christmas. But I hope this year, in uncertain times, that people stop for a minute to really think about the story of Jesus; His birth, life, death & resurrection. To understand that without the resurrection there is no Easter. To understand that without Jesus there would be no point in celebrating Christmas.

I hope that as a church and as Christians that we are better able to get the message of the Gospel across to a sceptical public who are in great need of it. I was driving to work this morning and on the radio there were a couple of guests talking about Christmas from an atheist perspective and talking about the "invention of a God" and the science in which they would prefer to put their trust.

It just struck me as a Christian listening to them that they don't really understand what it is like to have a relationship with a God that speaks to me everyday, that helps me make decisions both big and small, that protects me and my family and who wants to, yes, receive our worship and thanks but also to provide us good gifts. Not just just gifts wrapped up at Christmas but gifts which are much better and that have eternal value.

I also hope that people understand that the Christmas story is not just about the day of the birth of Jesus but are able to see it in the context of the desire of a mighty and holy God wanting us back, a fallen sinful race. In the context of it being a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and not just a nice story from just over 2000 years ago. That the creator God wanted a way to bring us back to himself that those who trust and accept his Son as the amazing gift it was are able in faith to restore the relationship between us. And more than this, some 33 years later, that we can understand the cost of this gift. A most precious gift.

Whatever you are doing, have a wonderful Christmas but take time to remember why and what we are celebrating. Take time now or in the new year to find out for yourself the message of the gospel - to not continue to just blindly accept what is probably now the default view of non-belief. To just accept what others are saying or what "science" tries to explain. Ask yourself the question when you look at the creation around you and perhaps the baby or your young child - is this all just chance, a biological accident. Think about feelings, desires, attractions, sadness, happiness, love. Think about what you might consider to be your soul or your spiritual, consider that we have mere mortal bodies. Think about these deeper aspects to your character and of those around you.

God gave his son Jesus as a babe, born in humble surroundings, who lived a perfect life, who was sinless but felt all the pain of life and was tempted just like you and me. Who had all our human characteristics - who became just like us. The Messiah who was predicted in ages before, who the Old Testament prophets foretold, the Saviour of not just the World, but of YOU and me. Who was tortured by the people whom he came to save, who died an horrendous death but who rose again from death and appeared to not just a few but to many witnesses. You could refer them in today's language as eye-witnesses. The creator God gave us all this as the only way we could live with him eternally and as the best way to live life on this earth, in companionship with him and with his Holy Spirit alive in us, directing us for good.

You may ask yourself right now, is there more to life than this ? My response would be - absolutely! If only one person reads this, decides to find out more, goes to a local church, asks questions and decides to respond in Faith then it would for me be a truly Happy Christmas!