WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.720 You've got four days to go. 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:07.120 I wonder what the mood is like in your house. 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:10.099 ! Anticipation, no doubt. 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:12.540 Excitement, for some of us certainly. 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:14.519 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.579 Yet somehow, here we are. 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:36.920 The angelic host is about to deliver its message of peace and goodwill, and nothing is ready. 00:00:37.439 --> 00:00:40.439 The halls are undecked, the figgy pudding unmade. 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:42.120 We're not rested or merry. 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:44.340 We are, on the other hand, very much dismayed. 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:47.539 There's lots to get through. 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:48.579 There's lots to be done. 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:50.960 Perhaps you're more cynical. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:56.519 Well, Christmas is just a cash grab by the big corporations. 00:00:57.920 --> 00:00:59.460 Why would I wrap the presents? 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:02.179 It's just paper in the recycling 24 hours later. 00:01:03.539 --> 00:01:03.980 Trees. 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:05.200 Well, why would I bother with that? 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.780 They'll just be in the bin lorry in January. 00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:14.240 And then, of course, there's the sense of disappointment that we think the more fuss that we make, 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:17.780 the more dissatisfying the whole thing ends up being. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:20.099 Perhaps you can relate to Sylvia Plath. 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:22.319 In her novel, The Bell Jar, she said this, 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:25.980 I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed. 00:01:27.020 --> 00:01:29.400 The way I always do the day after Christmas. 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:35.019 As if whatever it was, the pine boughs and the candles and the silver and the gilt ribbon presents 00:01:35.019 --> 00:01:40.539 and the Christmas turkey and the carols that the piano promised never came to pass. 00:01:40.540 --> 00:01:41.100 The pressure. 00:01:41.100 --> 00:01:41.660 The pressure. 00:01:41.660 --> 00:01:43.160 The disappointment. 00:01:43.160 --> 00:01:53.060 And then for some of us, of course, this year has been so hard that the thought of celebrating anything seems completely impossible. 00:01:53.060 --> 00:01:57.620 Any smiles that we think about putting on will be fake. 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:03.460 Anything that we communicate about being joyful or anything like that will simply be a show. 00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:04.879 The year has been too painful. 00:02:05.540 --> 00:02:11.000 And actually, all the fuss that others are making at this time of year, we just can't connect with it. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.419 So, it's worth asking the question this time of year. 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:17.699 Is it really worth it? 00:02:18.979 --> 00:02:19.419 Christmas. 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:22.319 Is it worth all the fuss? 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:23.319 Christmas. 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:24.319 Christmas. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:31.139 Now, the way you answer that question depends ultimately on how you feel about the one who is at the center of the whole thing. 00:02:31.139 --> 00:02:33.079 The one who is being celebrated. 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:42.359 I remember a long time ago when my mother turned 40, my father decided to host a secret party for her. 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:44.580 And so, the caterers were organized. 00:02:44.580 --> 00:02:48.720 The wine was ordered and delivered to somebody else's house so that there was no suspicion. 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:53.720 And all kinds of elaborate plans were made in order that she had a great party. 00:02:53.860 --> 00:02:59.200 She was taken offside on the day in order that the guests should come in secret and all that kind of thing. 00:02:59.540 --> 00:03:04.680 And with all the servant-heartedness that I could muster as a kind of, I don't know, I was probably about 10 or 11, 00:03:05.260 --> 00:03:07.700 I said to my dad, why are we making all this fuss? 00:03:08.220 --> 00:03:09.260 Why all the hassle? 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:11.520 Very humble of me, obviously. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.659 And he said, it's your mom, and she's wonderful. 00:03:16.600 --> 00:03:19.520 There was no sense in his mind that this was too much. 00:03:20.480 --> 00:03:22.140 And you'll know the same. 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:27.900 If you've hosted a celebration in someone's honor, all of the planning, all of the effort, all of the clear up, 00:03:28.160 --> 00:03:31.120 well, you don't ask yourself the question, was it worth it? 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:36.340 Because you value the person at the center so much, and you want to celebrate them. 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:42.120 So I think the question then for us at Christmas is, what do you make of the one at the center of it all? 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:47.039 What do you make of the one at the center of Christmas? 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:52.560 Because what you make of him will determine whether you think he's worth the effort. 00:03:52.560 --> 00:04:02.360 And this evening, I want to suggest to us that if you really get who he is, and if you really get, you know, 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:08.400 if you cut through all of the stuff that we've added on over the years in terms of tradition and everything else, 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:14.939 if we cut through all of that and we get who he is, and we grasp why it really is that he came, 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:18.180 you'll see that he's definitely worth celebrating. 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:25.680 In fact, you'll see that what he has come to do is so significant that celebrating him is the only right thing to do. 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:36.699 And in fact, what he has come to do is so powerful that you can celebrate no matter how tough your life and your current experience may be. 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:40.979 To show this, I want to go to John chapter 1. 00:04:41.159 --> 00:04:43.539 It's the last reading we had, John chapter 1. 00:04:43.620 --> 00:04:44.519 It's on page 11. 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:46.060 If you could turn that up. 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:56.159 And as we look there, I want to highlight two reasons in particular why it is that Jesus and Christmas is worth the fuss. 00:04:56.219 --> 00:04:57.099 And the first is this. 00:04:57.159 --> 00:04:59.480 Christmas brings us God in the manger. 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:02.300 It's God in the manger. 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:06.519 Now, the Christmas event is right at the bottom, verse 14. 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:10.839 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:12.420 That's the Christmas event. 00:05:12.719 --> 00:05:17.599 But if we're going to understand that rather enigmatic language, we need to go right back up to verse 1. 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:22.139 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 00:05:22.219 --> 00:05:23.620 He was in the beginning with God. 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:28.300 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:30.699 In him was life. 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:41.579 What John is saying is that the God of eternity, who was, verse 2, there in the beginning, before anything else existed, 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:46.120 the one who, verse 3, created everything. 00:05:46.719 --> 00:05:51.019 The one who, verse 4, is the source of all life. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:06:00.680 He is the one who became human in the womb of Mary and was born as Jesus Christ this first Christmas. 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:04.500 Those readings that we had from Luke's gospel and from Matthew's gospel, 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:11.480 they tell the historical account of Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and the angels and the baby in the manger. 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:14.420 This is all described in that one verse. 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:15.340 Verse 14, 00:06:15.339 --> 00:06:22.519 What is actually going on is explained in verses 1, 2, 3, and 4. 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:29.179 It is that God that called the Word because He is the ultimate expression. 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:34.120 The one born in the manger is the ultimate expression, the ultimate revelation of God, 00:06:34.179 --> 00:06:37.039 the way words reveal the person that speaks them. 00:06:37.039 --> 00:06:43.539 So it is with God, and He is the one who became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:06:43.540 --> 00:06:46.580 You want to celebrate? 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:52.240 The God of heaven entered His world at Christmas. 00:06:53.260 --> 00:06:56.540 If you want to know what God is like, you look at Jesus. 00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:03.660 If you want to know God personally, yourself, He has made it possible. 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:05.140 He is the one. 00:07:06.140 --> 00:07:09.420 The one in the manger is God with us. 00:07:09.420 --> 00:07:15.480 You may have noticed some of the retailers this Christmas. 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:19.300 It happens from time to time, particularly being noticed this Christmas. 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:23.759 The retailers who have dropped Christmas out of some of their festive products. 00:07:24.200 --> 00:07:26.540 So Tesco have an evergreen alpine tree, 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:31.720 and Marks and Spencers have a top-iced fruitcake for you to buy. 00:07:31.780 --> 00:07:33.280 It even has the holly on top. 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:34.400 But the C word? 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:36.600 No, we don't mention the C word. 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:39.120 Now, that has angered some traditionalists. 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:41.580 The food critic, William Sitwell, he wrote this. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:41.960 He said, 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:46.100 The rot began as the U.S. tradition of wishing one another a happy holiday, 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:49.160 seeped over here like a dank and muddy overflow. 00:07:49.740 --> 00:07:52.060 And now it's growing to a full-on assault. 00:07:52.760 --> 00:07:56.100 And his article was full of invective and rage 00:07:56.100 --> 00:08:00.740 that the Christmas story that he holds so dear 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.340 has been airbrushed out in this way. 00:08:03.339 --> 00:08:06.079 He went on to discuss some of his favorite traditions. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:07.719 And they were all the usual ones, 00:08:07.799 --> 00:08:09.959 the holly and the carols and the festive dinner. 00:08:10.539 --> 00:08:12.039 And those things, of course, they're great. 00:08:12.099 --> 00:08:14.259 They're all fine as far as they go. 00:08:14.579 --> 00:08:17.439 But the real reason for celebrating, 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:20.759 the real reason for all that we do 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:23.819 is not tradition for its own arbitrary sake, 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:26.860 but the astonishing reality 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:30.879 that God is the one who is in the manger. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:34.220 We can't get our heads around it. 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:38.460 Christmas tells us that it is God in the manger, 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:40.120 and that's why we celebrate. 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:41.200 But there's more to say, 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:43.779 because He came to us, 00:08:43.819 --> 00:08:45.980 He came to the manger for a reason. 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:48.480 If Christmas, first of all, is God in the manger, 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.700 secondly, we need to see that it is God on a mission, 00:08:51.700 --> 00:08:54.000 God on a mission, a rescue mission. 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:57.900 The reason we need to breathe 00:08:57.900 --> 00:09:00.640 is so that we can get oxygen in 00:09:00.640 --> 00:09:03.500 and CO2 out of our lungs. 00:09:04.060 --> 00:09:05.300 But there are divers 00:09:05.300 --> 00:09:08.180 who have learned certain techniques 00:09:08.180 --> 00:09:10.500 that enable them to get rid of the need to breathe. 00:09:11.400 --> 00:09:13.040 And they can go really deep. 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:16.740 And they can dive for a very long time 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:17.879 without oxygen. 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:22.100 And that's a bit like how lots of us 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:24.860 have begun to operate in God's world. 00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:26.939 We have learned techniques 00:09:26.939 --> 00:09:28.759 that enable us to exist without Him. 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:30.779 Now, that could be through religion. 00:09:31.139 --> 00:09:32.340 It could be through philosophy. 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:34.320 It could be through piecing together 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:36.220 values and ethics 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:38.939 that we think make life work for us. 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:41.899 And what we've done in that 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:43.220 is discovered ways 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:46.379 that we can go really far without Him. 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:50.679 But that is not how God designed things. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:53.799 We were made for a relationship with God. 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:55.500 And when we turn our back on that, 00:09:55.580 --> 00:09:58.240 when we choose to live in His world on our terms, 00:09:58.519 --> 00:09:59.120 which, by the way, 00:09:59.139 --> 00:10:00.759 is the definition of the word sin, 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:03.500 living in God's world on our terms, 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:05.220 self-government, you could say, 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:07.080 living according to our own values, 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:08.320 making up the rules, 00:10:08.659 --> 00:10:10.679 that is the definition ultimately of sin. 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:12.259 And this angers God 00:10:12.259 --> 00:10:13.340 and it puts us in danger. 00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:14.740 So those divers, 00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:17.180 those divers that go really deep 00:10:17.180 --> 00:10:18.759 because they've learned a way 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:20.720 to hold their breath for a very long time, 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:22.879 they eventually, at some point, 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:24.080 get a message, don't they? 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:26.280 You're out of air. 00:10:27.040 --> 00:10:28.379 You need to breathe. 00:10:29.680 --> 00:10:30.879 And the problem is, 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:32.899 they're miles from the surface in many cases 00:10:32.899 --> 00:10:34.600 and they realize they're in trouble. 00:10:35.280 --> 00:10:38.100 And if that person who has gone that deep 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:39.200 for that long 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:40.560 is going to survive, 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:41.700 they're going to need to be rescued. 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:45.080 And it's the same for us. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:47.940 Now, as aspects of our culture 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:51.340 implode around us and disintegrate, 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:54.220 and we realize when we look at our own lives, 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:56.320 we take time to look at what we're about 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.040 and the way that things are going for us, 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:00.540 and we realize they're not working as we'd hoped 00:11:00.540 --> 00:11:02.480 because we've been living in God's world 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:03.660 on our terms for a while, 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:05.420 more and more of us are waking up 00:11:05.420 --> 00:11:07.080 to the fact that we're getting that message. 00:11:07.180 --> 00:11:07.960 We're out of air. 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:10.120 We need to breathe and we're in danger. 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:13.480 Here's the thing. 00:11:14.540 --> 00:11:17.100 Christmas is God coming to the rescue. 00:11:19.400 --> 00:11:20.639 Look at verse 4. 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:25.060 In verse 4, John uses the imagery of light in the darkness. 00:11:25.059 --> 00:11:27.199 In Him was life, 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:29.439 and the life was the light of men. 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:32.039 The light shines in the darkness, 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:34.459 and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:38.699 Like when you're down deep in the ocean, 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:41.139 the world is a dark place. 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:44.579 Just look at what happened at Bondi Beach last week. 00:11:44.580 --> 00:11:47.940 Just click your news feed on any given day. 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:49.520 At a personal level, 00:11:50.400 --> 00:11:51.860 that terminal diagnosis, 00:11:52.520 --> 00:11:54.980 that loss of a loved one, 00:11:55.060 --> 00:11:58.360 we know that evil and suffering and death 00:11:58.360 --> 00:12:00.700 are never far away. 00:12:02.060 --> 00:12:05.520 These are symptoms of a world that turns its back on God. 00:12:05.660 --> 00:12:07.300 And if we're honest with ourselves, 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.540 the darkness isn't just those kind of things 00:12:09.540 --> 00:12:10.320 that are out there, 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:14.440 but we know that we're not the kind of people 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:15.760 that we wish we were either. 00:12:15.920 --> 00:12:18.940 We know selfishness and anger, 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:22.080 and we know what it's like to be rude to other people. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.000 The darkness, if we're honest, 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:26.220 lives in all of our hearts. 00:12:28.520 --> 00:12:31.080 But if you read any of the accounts of Jesus' life, 00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:32.620 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 00:12:32.780 --> 00:12:33.840 the gospel accounts, 00:12:33.900 --> 00:12:34.620 if you read those, 00:12:34.660 --> 00:12:36.660 you will see that through His words 00:12:36.660 --> 00:12:37.860 and through His actions, 00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:41.139 Jesus halted the inevitable progress of darkness. 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:43.879 And He does that 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:47.240 because the light that He brings 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:49.720 is the light of life. 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:52.580 In Him was life, 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:55.980 and that life was the light of men. 00:12:56.700 --> 00:12:58.480 At Christmastime, when we light the candles, 00:12:58.779 --> 00:13:00.399 when we put the lights on the Christmas tree, 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:02.539 the whole concept of Christmas lights 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:04.840 speak to us of Jesus, 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:07.100 the light of the world who came at Christmas. 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:09.560 But He came at Christmas to bring life. 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:13.519 And He describes the kind of life 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:14.700 that He brings elsewhere 00:13:14.700 --> 00:13:17.340 as life that is truly life. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.659 That is, it's not just physical life. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.460 It's not just breath in our lungs kind of thing, 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:26.480 but the life that flows from a relationship 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:29.120 with the God who made us for Himself. 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:32.240 It is the life of eternity. 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:36.100 When you experience the dark, 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:39.080 and you realize that you're mad from God, 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:39.960 and you're in danger, 00:13:40.680 --> 00:13:42.919 Jesus offers rescue. 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:46.779 He's come to us 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:49.440 in the depths of our sin 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:52.560 to save us and to give us life. 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:54.840 We heard it in one of the other readings. 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:57.060 That is why He was given the name Jesus, 00:13:57.059 --> 00:14:01.539 because He will save His people from their sins. 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:05.779 Christmas always had Good Friday in view. 00:14:06.579 --> 00:14:07.839 Here's the poet John Donne. 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:08.500 He says this, 00:14:08.579 --> 00:14:09.899 Jesus' birth and His death 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:11.899 were but one continual act. 00:14:12.619 --> 00:14:14.379 His Christmas Day and His Good Friday 00:14:14.379 --> 00:14:15.739 are but the evening and morning 00:14:15.739 --> 00:14:17.019 of one and the same day. 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:19.119 From the creche to the cross 00:14:19.119 --> 00:14:21.519 is an inseparable line. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:23.179 That is why, 00:14:23.319 --> 00:14:23.840 verse 12, 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:24.419 can you see, 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:25.079 verse 12, 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:27.279 He is described as full of grace 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:29.879 as well as truth. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:32.199 Yes, 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:34.059 it's God in the manger. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:35.079 Yes, 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:36.579 He reveals to us perfectly 00:14:36.579 --> 00:14:37.620 the truth about God. 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:39.379 But Jesus came at Christmas 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:41.279 not ultimately to give us advice. 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:43.319 He certainly didn't come 00:14:43.319 --> 00:14:44.460 to give us a hard time 00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:46.100 for not living as we should. 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:48.399 But He came to give us 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:49.620 what we don't deserve. 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:52.060 Rescue from sin 00:14:52.060 --> 00:14:54.960 and reconciliation with God. 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:56.480 Peace on earth 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:57.980 and mercy mild. 00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:00.919 God and sinners reconciled. 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:02.299 We sing it every year, 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:03.360 but do you understand 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:05.120 how significant it is? 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:07.759 God in the manger 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:10.100 came to bring this rescue 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:12.259 and it is all gift. 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:15.299 You don't deserve it. 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:16.659 Neither do I. 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:19.139 But that is the good news of Christmas. 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:22.139 That is the gift of Christmas. 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:24.519 So, two things, if I may, 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:25.120 as I finish. 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:26.120 First of all, please, 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:29.179 don't miss the point this year. 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:32.460 You can make a fuss at Christmas. 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:35.159 You can go through all the rigmarole, 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:36.379 but miss the whole point. 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:38.279 Don't do that. 00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:40.259 It is just, 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:41.639 if it's just about the tradition, 00:15:42.060 --> 00:15:43.159 if it's just about the parties 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:43.959 or the gifts 00:15:43.959 --> 00:15:44.879 or the family time 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:46.019 for their own sake, 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:47.179 you've missed the point. 00:15:48.459 --> 00:15:50.459 And Christmas will leave you dissatisfied. 00:15:51.219 --> 00:15:52.799 And you'll be asking again, 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:53.559 really, 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:54.799 was it worth it? 00:15:54.959 --> 00:15:55.879 And let me tell you, 00:15:56.059 --> 00:15:56.939 no, it wasn't. 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.819 I mean, it was pleasant at the time, 00:15:58.860 --> 00:15:59.419 but ultimately, 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:00.219 was it worth it? 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:00.959 No, it wasn't. 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:04.259 But you get the point of Christmas 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:05.839 if you do verse 12. 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:06.759 Look at verse 12. 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:09.019 To all who did receive Him, 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.639 who believed in His name, 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:14.759 He gave the right 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:17.519 to become children of God. 00:16:19.340 --> 00:16:21.819 You get the point of Christmas 00:16:21.819 --> 00:16:25.220 if you receive God in the manger. 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:26.840 Believe in His name. 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:29.159 Entrust yourself to the Lord Jesus, 00:16:29.299 --> 00:16:30.340 and you will receive 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:32.179 the true gift of Christmas. 00:16:32.319 --> 00:16:34.720 You'll get life that is truly life. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.240 This is the whole point of it all. 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:39.660 Don't miss Christ this Christmas. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:41.720 Come to Him for life 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:43.460 that transforms your present 00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:46.139 because it transforms your eternity. 00:16:46.940 --> 00:16:48.060 You can do that now. 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:49.160 You can do it in your seat. 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:51.680 But you might want to hear more. 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:52.240 If you do, 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:54.300 you see this little postcard 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:55.720 in the handout you were given. 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:57.220 This is a short course, 00:16:57.320 --> 00:16:58.360 three weeks that we're running 00:16:58.360 --> 00:16:59.200 in January, 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:01.300 to look more closely at this Jesus. 00:17:01.420 --> 00:17:02.620 We'd love to see you there. 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:03.879 Come and talk to me afterwards. 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:06.059 And I can help you sign up. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.539 But don't miss the point this Christmas. 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:10.319 And secondly, 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:13.839 don't miss the joy this year. 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:16.140 Don't miss the joy. 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:18.579 When you know the rescue that Jesus brings, 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:19.559 it changes everything. 00:17:20.619 --> 00:17:21.920 Whatever is going on, 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:24.539 whether it's politically or personally, 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:26.279 we don't need to fear 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:29.279 because we belong to God as His children, 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:31.899 and He keeps us in His love. 00:17:33.099 --> 00:17:34.299 Whatever we have 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:36.379 or whatever we don't have now, 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:37.940 we don't need to worry. 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:40.259 So much of us are taken up 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:42.639 with the worry of what other people have, 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:43.839 what other people are doing, 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:45.119 and we don't have that. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.660 And envy takes hold of our hearts. 00:17:47.879 --> 00:17:49.099 We don't need to worry. 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:50.099 If we have Christ, 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:51.519 we belong to a family 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:53.299 that holds all the riches of heaven, 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:57.399 and we will one day enjoy those. 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:00.700 Whatever your circumstances, 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:02.859 however tough they are, 00:18:02.879 --> 00:18:04.799 I don't know what you've experienced this year, 00:18:05.159 --> 00:18:07.599 but if your circumstances are difficult, 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:08.399 let me say this. 00:18:08.399 --> 00:18:09.379 If you receive the one 00:18:09.379 --> 00:18:10.359 who is sent at Christmas, 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:12.759 you have reasons for joy. 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:14.519 So celebrate. 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.200 Make the fuss. 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:18.440 He really is worth it. 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:20.460 Happy Christmas. 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:21.460 Let's pray.