Well, first of all, we're going to look.
So we're going to do this in three parts.
And first of all, we're going to look at Jesus, the child.
You know, Christmas can be distracting.
That's, I think, a word that you can use about Christmas.
There's so much going on.
I like to say there's so much stuff around Christmas.
I think this image maybe sums it up.
On the left-hand side, if you can see that,
on the left-hand side, there's somebody who's gone to town
on their house with lights.
Maybe that's what yours looks like.
But, you know, there's so much stuff, isn't there?
There's buying presents for people.
There's visiting friends and family.
You know, a lot of this stuff is good.
Don't get me wrong.
But, you know, there's carol services and concerts
and there's child nativity programs to go to.
There's so much stuff involved with Christmas.
You know, the corporate world, they'll say,
you need all this stuff.
It'll make you happy.
It can all be so distracting.
But, you know, even within the story of Christmas
or the nativity, as we would refer to it,
it can be distracting.
We sometimes get distracted with the sheep,
with the animals, with the shepherds,
with this star that guided the wise men.
We can think about all this stuff.
But, you know, Christmas is about a birth.
It is about a child being born.
It is the main event of Christmas.
And, you know, it was also a real event.
It was actually something that happened.
It is not just a nice story that we like to dream up again every year.
No, it was a real event.
And, you know, it wasn't all quiet and calm.
We like to sort of paint that picture, don't we?
Even that picture.
That looks lovely.
That looks like a nice place to be.
You know, I've been to two births.
And it's not quiet.
And it's not calm.
And it's not clean like that.
It's messy.
Babies are loud after they've been born.
They cry.
They make loads of noise.
You'll hear my two.
And they're grown up a bit.
But you'll still hear them as the night goes on.
You know this film?
Anyone know what this film is?
The Nativity.
Sana, my oldest, she loves this film.
This is a good film.
But they are acting out the Nativity.
So what they do is that they say,
well, to act it out,
we need to go and see what a real birth's like.
So they sneak into the hospital.
And this is a screenshot from the moment
that they look into the hospital room.
And then just after this,
the two teachers faint.
But you know, it's not glorious.
It's not filled with glory.
A birth.
So why do we remember it?
Why do we do this every year?
Do we remember other people's birthdays?
Maybe.
Maybe our family or some friends.
Does anyone know anyone from history's birthday?
Anyone at all?
I don't.
I don't know anyone's birthday.
You might think like,
oh, maybe Queen Elizabeth.
She was born in this state.
I don't.
And you don't either.
So why do we remember this birthday?
And you might be sitting there going,
it probably wasn't actually his birthday.
And I would agree with you.
It might not have actually been the day that he was born.
But it is what we mark, isn't it?
It's the time of year that we mark Jesus' birthday.
So why do we do it?
Well, because it is completely unique.
There was no birth like it.
Think how many births go on.
All the time.
Every year.
In the royal.
Alone.
All the time.
This one was unique.
We read it, didn't we?
Emmanuel.
God with us.
That's what that passage says.
God with us.
Jesus, he had a human mother.
Mary.
We know Mary, don't we?
We know he had a heavenly father.
God.
As man.
As a child.
On earth.
And you know, we've got to hear that and go,
well, why?
Why did God come?
That's got to be the question that we ask.
Well, the clue is in the name.
What day is it today?
Christmas Eve.
It's not named as such.
But what do we think of when we think of Eve?
We think of that first rebellion against God.
Eve, she took that fruit.
We can read that story in Genesis.
She took that fruit.
That first act of rebellion against God.
And sin came into the world.
And since then, we've all been messing up things.
Since then, haven't we?
We all make mistakes.
We all rebel against God.
It was not the way that it was meant to be.
And that's a problem.
And that is why the child was born.
So we have had Jesus the child.
And the first thing we look at is Jesus fully God.
God is born as a child into this very earth that we walk.
You know, that's mad.
Sometimes I think we can hear that or we can say these words and we just let it wash over us.
You know, that's crazy.
The king of kings.
The lord of lords.
The creator of everything that we know and think about and can look at.
Was born in a cowshed.
Jesus, he leaves the splendor of glory to come to a broken world.
He did so to die for self-orientated rebels.
People who just think about themselves.
That's us, isn't it?
And he did so.
He did so intentionally.
He did so willingly.
And as he did so, he was hated and he was rejected on earth as he lived that out.
And he did so all so that forgiveness could be available.
That those separated from God, as we looked at with the sin that came into the world, that's us.
Those who are separated from God can have forgiveness.
Can have a home with him forever.
Because of the work that he did.
While he was here on earth.
Jesus, fully God.
Well, you might be sitting there and thinking, well, was he God?
Was he God?
Did he actually claim to be God?
Well, we read that passage.
And thank you, Cater, for reading it.
We read that passage of his baptism.
That was the start of his ministry.
And he is baptized.
And we have this amazing event where the heavens are torn open.
And it is said,
You are my beloved son.
With you, I am well pleased.
You know, that's just one event that we can read of.
One instance in the Bible where Jesus is claiming to be God.
We have the I am statements.
It might be a bit unfair, but some Christmas Eve homework, if you want it.
Let's go home and look up the instances where Jesus says that he is God.
Or that others claim that he is God.
You know, the biggest thing for me is that the Jews, they tried to stone him.
Because they said it was blasphemy.
Because he was saying that he was God.
And you know, he didn't just talk the talk.
But he walked the walk.
I missed a slide.
Here's a representation.
It's not working.
Of God on earth.
That he walked around on this earth.
You know, how did it help?
How did it help that Jesus was fully God?
Couldn't a person have done this?
Couldn't a person have done his work?
Well, Jesus, he could live a mistake-free life.
Only because he was God.
He could be sinless.
But despite that, he was willing to die.
He was willing to take that upon himself.
That separation from God that we deserve.
He was willing to take that.
But he was resurrected and he's alive today.
Proving that what he said about himself was true.
That it was all true.
The cross.
It's a funny time of year to think about the cross.
Oh no, that's Easter.
You know, but it's all the same story.
He came so that he could die.
Jesus, fully God.
Do you know what his name means?
Jesus.
Well, it means Jehovah saves.
Or the Lord or God saves.
That was what he was sent for.
And because he was fully God, he is the only way back to him to be made right again.
So, part three.
Part three of the trilogy.
So, Jesus.
We've had the child.
We've had fully God.
And now we're going to see fully man.
You know, it was more than just a birth.
That's what we remember, don't we?
But, you know, this child grew into an older child.
And into a teenager.
And into a young adult.
And then into adulthood.
You know, he lived just like you and I.
We have the quiet years.
We have the years we don't really hear about in the Bible.
From about age one through to age 30.
But, you know, he would have lived like anyone else.
His dad was a carpenter.
Joseph.
So, he would have learnt the family trade.
He would know a hard day's work.
Would have ended the day picking the splinters out of the hands.
Tired having been on his feet all day.
He knew what it was like to have a family.
He knew what it was like to have friends.
To grow up.
To learn at the local synagogue as a Jew.
Learn from the Torah.
He would have known all of these things.
And then we have his years that are recorded in the Bible.
And the stories that we can read about.
Of his work.
His ministry.
He's been through life.
As a man.
So, Jesus.
He knows what it's like.
He knows what it's like to be a person.
Fully man.
He knows what it's like in the good times.
He also knows what it's like in the bad times.
He knows what it's like to be hungry.
To be cast out.
He was cast out almost as a weirdo at times.
As a strange person.
He knows what it's like to face pain.
To be a victim of injustice.
Jesus.
But he knows what it's like to share a meal.
To have friends.
To have family.
To love people.
He also knows what it's like to be tempted.
You know, I think the most human trait might be crying.
You know, when I think of Jesus' fact that he was fully man.
Think of the shortest verse of the Bible.
Jesus wept.
And if you know that story.
You know why he was crying.
His friend Lazarus had just died.
And he, quite naturally, was sad about that.
So, he knows what it's like to have lost people.
You know, not just his friend.
But it's reckoned that he actually lost his dad.
Joseph.
He's not talked about during his ministry.
So, they reckon that he maybe lost his dad when he was young.
He knows what it's like when things go wrong.
So, he can sympathize with us.
We read that in Hebrews.
Thank you, Ben, for reading that.
That passage, it says that he can be our great high priest.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that he can relate to us.
The high priest was one that was to be between the people of Israel, the Jews, and God.
It was interceding for them.
You know, Jesus is our great high priest.
Because he knows what it's like to live a life on this earth.
He was fully man as well as being fully God.
And he does intercede for us.
He's there to listen to us and help us in our lives.
But, you know, despite all of this suffering and the life he had to live, which wasn't an easy one.
But because of love, he came down and he gave it all.
He gave himself.
He came as a child.
He came as God.
He came as a man.
Why?
Well, he did it to satisfy a holy God.
A just God.
And we can think of joy when we think of his coming.
Because of the opportunity it gives us to trust in him.
And to have that joy knowing that we have been made right with the God who created us.
Who made us.
Who loves us.
And wants us to spend eternity with him forever.
So this Christmas time as we have fun, which I'm sure we will.
Enjoy time with family and friends.
Eat probably too much food.
Open presents that we did or did not want.
Then we can remember the one who, yes, was born.
And that's important to remember that.
But also the man who grew up and lived his life.
The fact that he was fully man.
That he was also fully God.
And that uniqueness.
And that reason why we celebrate the birth of Jesus at this time of year.
Let me just pray.
God and Father, we just thank you so much for the Lord Jesus.
We thank you for the short time tonight.
We can see from your word, the Bible, just some of the truths about him and his life.
We thank you.
We thank you that it's still so relevant for us today.
Because we all need to be made right with you.
We thank you that we can look with such joy at his coming.
If we are in the right position with you.
And so we thank you for Christmas.
We thank you for the opportunity it is to see loved ones and friends and family.
And to have time away from work.
And when we can hopefully just quieten down for a period.
Just pray that you'll help each one of us.
And to remember the truth that we've heard.
And that you will bless each one of us as we go.
So we just commit these things to you.
In Jesus name.
Amen.