Stainglass window
Christmas 2011
3rd Dec Advent Party
12th Dec @ 2pm
Carol Service at Oak tree Court
16th Dec @ 2.30pm
Carol Service at Stratford Court
17th Dec @11am
Carol Singing outside Co-Op
18th Dec Nativity and Christingle Service and Carol Service
24th Dec @ 11pm (Service starts at 11.30pm
United Service at URC Etwall Rd
25th Dec @10am
Christmas Day Service
The Word Became Flesh’
Dear Friends,
It was the night of the local primary school Christmas play. Months of agonised rehearsal were over. Eager mums and dads jostled for the best seats as backstage the nervous young cast prepared to give their all. On cue, Mary and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem and knocked on the door of the inn. ‘Have you any room?’ squeaked a nervous Joseph, aged 6 ¾ years, from under his cotton-wool beard. The innkeeper was an enterprising young lad. He sensed the play needed a lift. So instead of his much-practised line, he decided to improvise: ‘Yes,’ he yelled at an astonished Mary ad Joseph. ‘Come on in, we’ve got loads of space!’
Rumour has it that the headmistress fainted, and the play collapsed in chaos.
For generations, people have been altering the Christmas message to suit their own ends. Is there anything we can do to make a difference? John1, verse 14, brings us to the very heart of the Christian Gospel. God has acted in history in the person of Jesus Christ. The baby at Bethlehem grew up to be the Saviour on the cross, and the Lord of the empty tomb.
Two words that arise from the verse sum up how we might make the message of Jesus more real this Christmas:
1 TRANSLATION ‘The Word became flesh’. Jesus is described as the Word of God and in him God’s love was seen. In other words, God’s love was translated in a way we could recognise and understand. Of course, translators get it wrong sometimes- like the car manufacturers who couldn’t understand why no one wanted to buy the Chevrolet Nova in South America, until someone explained that ‘no va’ in Spanish means ‘doesn’t go’
2 DEMONSTRATION- Another way to translate the verse is to say, ‘The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us’. That is a graphic description of what God has done for us in Jesus. He identified with us, came into our world and shared every type of human experience. God demonstrated his love for us – in Jesus.
Perhaps those two words give us a clue as to how to make this Christmas different. Less words and more action. Less cards and more kindness. Less sentiment and more reality. There’s an army of Christians surrounded by a world of need. The next few weeks give us a special opportunity to translate and demonstrate God’s love and care for people. Instead of worshipping at the shrine of elf-indulgence, we can indulge ourselves in a bit of true Christian self-sacrifice.
Have a real happy Christmas!
Your friend and pastor,
Jonathan Calvert