Christmas Day 2017
Well, here we are: Christmas Day has finally arrived again, and I hope that if you have already opened all of your presents, the man in the red suit brought you everything you wanted. If you still have anything left to open, my hope is the same for you. This is a special day for many reasons.
First, for those fortunate enough, it is a time of celebration spent with families and friends. Sometimes, it’s not always possible to gather everyone together, but at Christmas, everyone seems to make more effort. It’s a day and a season of celebrations, a time of giving and receiving presents. With this in mind, I have a little present for you this morning: I intend to keep the sermon shorter than usual!
For the Church too, this is a day and a season of great celebration. Essentially, we are celebrating the birth of a baby, though this is no ordinary child. On this day, God sends us the greatest and most precious gift we could receive: Himself in human form. This baby is a symbol of God’s light, hope and peace. As the poetic and beautiful passage at the start of St John’s Gospel tell us, here is the Light who was coming into the world. His actual phrase is:
“The true Light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world”.
Here is a child, who, special as He is, also shares our humanity. This means that He shares in all our human feelings and emotions: sorrow, joy, laughter and pain. Here is a child who will grow up to preach justice for the poor, the downtrodden, and the lonely.
It isn’t very often that I get the opportunity to thank the staff of the Barclays office restaurant in public. Equally, for those of us who are old enough, when was the last time you heard the band Boney M mentioned in a sermon? Today you get both.
I thanked the Barclays restaurant staff for their selection of Christmas musical nuggets over lunch, one of which was by Boney M. At this point, please excuse the DJ in me coming out again. In their remix of the Harry Belafonte song “Mary’s Boy Child”, two lines pretty much sum up the significance of why we are here today. They are:
“Oh my Lord, you sent your Son to save us”
“Oh my Lord, your very self you gave us”.
Today is perhaps a good day to reflect on where we are, to take stock and give thanks for the many gifts we receive from God, not only the material things, but also God’s love, grace and guidance, and all the talents and skills that make us who we are. God’s grace and love are both present in the child whose birth we celebrate today and who will ultimately give Himself to be our Saviour.
However, it’s worth contemplating that, wonderful as it can be, Christmas is not necessarily a joyful time for everyone. Christmas may be a very sad and difficult time to get through for a variety of reasons, such as homelessness, hunger or isolation. Andrew Campling, Founder and Musical Director of the London Docklands Singers, recently remarked that one thing which made him proud of the choir was the considerable amount of work it did in aid of various charities. Let us therefore give thanks today for all individuals and organisations who work in any way they can to alleviate the suffering of others.
Let us also remember today those who are less fortunate than ourselves for whatever reason, praying that the Light coming into the world will shine upon them. Let us pray that that Light may give them renewed hope and strength, and in some way, help to change their lives for the better.
This world in which we live is not the easiest place to be. At present, we are witnesses to many different examples of hunger, poverty and conflict across the globe.
But today, we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, and our prayer must be for a spirit of reconciliation and peace, for an end to violence and conflict, wherever it may be happening in the world. We must pray too for an end to poverty, hunger and disease and for equality and an equal sharing of our world’s resources.
So, having taken time to reflect on why Christmas Day is so special, I am left with one final task, which is to ask you all to do something for me. However and wherever you choose to spend today, do celebrate and remember to have a good time.
Have a peaceful and blessed Christmas, and may this special season bring you every joy and happiness.
AMEN