Christmas is one of the certainties of the year. Just like the self-assessment deadline, and GCSE results, we know when it is going to happen.
Christmas means different things to different people. Family, generosity, love, warmth, a booze-up, debt, loneliness, anxiety, loss. For many, it’s a time for carols, nativity plays, Christmas concerts, crib services, and the glorious mystery of Midnight Mass.
But what is it for?
It’s a time for us to glimpse something important through a story we retell each year. The story of a pregnant, unmarried girl, the boyfriend who stuck by her, a desperate search for a room and a messy birth in an animal shed. So far, so human.
Then, some shepherds crash in, telling stories of skies filled with other-worldly singing. Later, a visit from some dignitaries who brought very odd presents. Then a despotic king, who flew into a rage when he heard of the birth. And at the centre of this, a tiny, vulnerable baby.
The Christmas story is a human story, but it is one into which heaven breaks, and we get an astonishing glimpse of power.
That baby was the physical demonstration of God’s immense love. Jesus grew up to be a local celebrity, preacher, teacher and healer. Killed for being a blasphemer and a trouble maker, he came back to life again – inexplicably – and today, 2.3 billion people follow him.
That teaching is about how much we matter to God. That’s the gift given to us afresh each Christmas – the knowledge that however we feel, however stressed we are, however disastrous our life feels, or the world around us, we are precious, loved and ultimately okay.
Blessings on you, and however you engage with this story or decide not to, may you have a wonderful and joy-filled Christmas.
Tune in to BBC Radio Berkshire at 9am on Christmas Day to hear Bishop Olivia’s Christmas sermon.
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