December
Revd Alan writes
Dear Friends,
At this time of the year the Church celebrates God coming into the world to be one of us as well as one with us. Maybe we think that we might be able to imagine what might have been going through God’s mind which made him do this. What we read in the Old Testament is of a world and its people who constantly defy God and ‘do their own thing’. We might be able to imagine God getting fed up with such and decide to come down and sort us all out.
I expect that if we were in God’s position and had decided to come into the world in order to sort it out we wouldn’t come in as a baby. We would probably come in ‘all guns blazing’ and leave people in no doubt who is in charge.
Fortunately we are not God nor in His position. All that we read in the New Testament shows us a God who loves his people and longs for them to come to him. Coming in ‘all guns blazing’ couldn’t be the right answer for a loving God.
Instead He comes in the most humble and vulnerable way – as a baby born in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire.
He grew up and began His ministry as one who serves the people – as every good monarch should. The tyrant Sovereign will get nowhere with the people. The one who serves will find that the people are willing to give themselves in service to the Sovereign and one another.
God did this at Christmas, during all the ministry of the grown-up Jesus, and finally He gave Himself to be crucified as a Sacrifice for His people.
At Christmas we celebrate the start of the process which resulted in everyone being offered a way back to God which they had lost by their own wilfulness and self-centredness. This generosity of God towards us is reflected in our generosity to each other at this time. Such generosity should continue throughout the year as we reflect God giving Himself in service to us in Jesus.
A number of years ago I saw a car sticker which read, “God is for life, not just for Christmas.” May the spirit of generosity of Christmas continue in all of us in the time following as well as at Christmas.
A Happy and peaceful Christmas to you all.
Yours in Christ, Alan