Well, good evening, everyone. Great to be in church with you tonight. My name's Steve. I've not met you before, which I can't tell if I have or not. It's all black out there.
I'm the senior pastor here at St Paul's, and in this Christmas season, the last number of weeks for us, we've been really focusing on really the song that we've just sang right at the beginning about preparing him room.
That is a season of actually inviting Jesus into the centre of our life, and the reason for that is that despite the fact that Christianity and Christmas makes an astounding claim, it is in fact believable.
And it's not just believable, but it is unbelievably good when you come to see what Christmas is declaring, because if you can get to the centre of Christmas and the meaning of Christmas, you actually get to the centre and the heart of the Christian faith.
That this is an infinite God who has made all things, who has made himself known to us, and yet fully aware that we're in 2025, and many in our world do not believe this.
And in fact, it's not a new thing.
Back in 1961, the Russian Yuri Gagarin was the first human being to go into space.
At the time he went into space, Nikita Khrushchev was the premier of Russia.
And one of the things that Khrushchev said, which really kind of went global in the media, was that when Gagarin went up into space, he discovered that there was no God there.
He found no God.
He had to look out the window of the spacecraft and he couldn't see God.
And so in response to Khrushchev making that claim, the Oxford professor, C.S. Lewis, wrote an article titled The Seeing Eye.
And so what Lewis writes there in this article is that if there was a God, he said, if there was a God who created us,
then that God would not be discovered by going up into space to look for them.
You could not relate to God in the same way that a human being might relate to another human being, a human being on the first floor,
and the way that they would relate to a human being on the second floor.
He said, because both of them are the exact same beings.
Lewis wrote that for God to relate to humanity, the way that God relates to humanity is the same kind of way that,
for instance, Shakespeare might relate to Hamlet.
Shakespeare is the creator of Hamlet and the world of Hamlet.
And so Hamlet has no way of knowing or acknowledging Shakespeare at all unless Shakespeare was to write himself into the play of Hamlet.
And so Lewis's point is that the only way that we could know if there is a God who exists was if that God was to write themselves into the story,
the history of his world.
And therefore,
not just write himself in,
but write himself in as a character in that story so that other characters could interact with the God who's written himself into the story.
And so the claim of Christmas,
which is really the central claim of Christianity,
is that that is exactly what the God who has made all things has actually done.
God does not just write information about himself and send it to us,
but that he has, in fact, written himself into the very drama of history.
That is the extraordinary claim of Christianity.
It's the story of Christmas.
And it's a story that isn't just,
you know,
good for our heads to get our minds around in some way.
It's actually a true story that happened in history.
And this still leaves us,
even if you were to grapple with that and come to acknowledge it in some philosophical way,
it still leaves us with the so what question.
That is,
if that did happen,
if Christmas is true in any way,
what does it mean for us?
And in actual fact,
to flip that around,
if Christmas isn't true,
we don't just lose the wonder of this time of year.
We, in fact,
lose everything.
Lose everything.
We lose meaning.
We lose life.
We lose good and evil,
even you and me.
So what I want to do in the next little bit of our time together
is look at the story of Christmas,
the alternatives that are out there with that.
And I know it's late at night and maybe your brain like mine is switching off.
So I'll try to be brief.
And I don't assume that I'm going to be able to,
you know,
convince you in this moment.
But just to give you a snapshot.
So first of all,
no news story.
In his global bestseller,
Sapiens,
A Brief History of Humankind,
the Israeli historian Yuval Harari,
what he attempts to do in his book there
is to tell the story of humanity from its beginning.
And what Harari,
as a person,
rejects the claims of Christianity.
He rejects the claims of Christmas.
But he does recognise
the substantial influences it has had
on the history of humanity.
And what he does is he argues in his book
that in fact,
our deepest moral beliefs today
are not self-evident truths
that many in our world want to claim right now.
They're not self-evident truths at all.
He says they are,
in actual fact,
they are beliefs
that are grounded in the Bible.
This is how he puts it.
For instance,
the idea of equality
is inextricably intertwined
with the idea of creation.
If we do not believe
in the Christian myths
about God,
creation,
and souls,
what does it mean
that all people are equal?
Now,
most people
in our society
nowadays
have a sense
that human rights
are good,
that things like racism
are wrong,
anti-Semitism
is wrong,
that men
and women
are equal,
that things like murder
is evil,
and that the rich
should oppress
the poor.
the poor,
but why?
Why do we have a sense
that those things
are good and right?
What Harari says
is that in actual fact,
if there is no God
who has created all things,
he says,
there is in fact
no moral facts
at all.
They are just opinions,
nothing more
than just opinions.
The British historian
Tom Holland
makes a very similar book
in his book
Dominion.
He stopped himself
believing in a God
as a kid,
but after years
and years
as a historian
and as a researcher,
he actually found himself
being drawn back
to the person
of Jesus
as he's portrayed
in the New Testament.
It was mainly
because he found
that many of the values
that he held deeply,
he held them dearly,
were intimately
connected
to the person
of Jesus.
They weren't just
inherent beliefs.
Human rights,
equality,
equality of men,
women,
love for foreigners,
care for the poor,
vulnerable,
the marginalized,
are specifically
Christian beliefs.
And history shows us
that it was only
as Christianity
spread in the world
that these beliefs
became generally accepted
and particularly
became the foundation
and framework
for Western civilization.
Because the ancient world
in Jesus' time
laughed at these ideas.
and yet we exist
in a culture,
in a society nowadays,
where the broad consensus
is that you can actually
keep the values,
but you can get rid
of the God
who's behind those values.
And Harari explains
what happens
when we do that.
As far as we can tell
from a purely
scientific viewpoint,
human life
has absolutely
no meaning.
that is based
entirely on scientific terms,
human life
has no meaning.
Humans are the outcome
of blind evolutionary processes
that operate
with our goal
or purpose.
Our actions
are not part
of some
divine cosmic plan.
Hence,
any meaning
that people
ascribe
to their lives
is just
a delusion.
Any honest
atheist
agrees
with Harari
at this point.
Now,
there are certainly
people
who think
their lives
have no meaning,
but on the most part,
none of us
actually want Harari
to be right
at all.
That meaning
in our lives
is a delusion.
The bad news story
is though
that if there
is no God,
then we are left
with the reality
that we live
and we die
and we decay
and that
is it.
That's it.
But Christmas,
which is why
it is full of
joy
and light
and hope,
Christmas
is the alternative.
The Christmas story
is in fact
the good news story.
So that's where
we want to jump
into that passage there.
If you've got it
in front of you
in John chapter 1,
you see,
at the beginning
of John's biography
on the life of Jesus,
we don't get,
he doesn't start
with the birth of Jesus,
but he starts
with the birth
of the universe.
And he mentions here
a key figure
who he calls
the Word.
I'll read the first
few verses for us.
In the beginning
was the Word
and the Word
was with God
and the Word
was God.
He was with God
in the beginning.
Through him,
that's talking
about the Word,
through him
all things
were made.
Without him
nothing was made
that has been made.
In him was life
and that life
was the light
of all mankind.
The light
shines
in the darkness
and the darkness
has not overcome it.
And so
what you do
is if you read
John's biography
as it unfolds,
we in fact discover
that the key figure
that he's referring to here
known as the Word
is in fact
Jesus.
You see,
what the Bible teaches
is that the created God
is one God
in three persons,
Father, Son
and Holy Spirit
who have always
existed together
for all eternity
in perfect love
relationship
with one another.
What that says is
what the Christian faith
believes
at the centre
of all reality,
of all ultimate reality
is a God
of perfect love
relationship.
And what happens
on the very first Christmas,
it marks the moment
when God
the Son,
the Word,
the Creator
of all
became a human being
with a very specific purpose.
John's biography
tells the story
of our lives
being part
of a loving
cosmic plan
of a loving God.
I'll read it again,
verse 9.
The true light
that gives light
to everyone
was coming
into the world.
He was in the world
and though the world
was made through him,
the world did not
recognise him.
He came to that
which was his own
but his own
did not receive him.
Yet to all
who did
receive him,
to those
who believed
in his name,
he gave the right
to become children
of God,
children born
not of natural descent
nor of human decision
or a husband's will
but born of God.
And then
we read
right at the end,
the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling
amongst us.
We have seen
his glory,
the glory
of the one and only
who came
from the Father
full of grace
and truth.
And a couple of verses
later it tells us
the one full of grace
and truth
is none other
than Jesus the Christ.
So what that's saying
there is that
Jesus is the
author
of the story
of history
but he's also
the lead character.
The God
who made the universe
who creates
and defines history
enters it,
enters history
in order to
redeem it
and rescue it.
And instead of
being celebrated,
he's rejected.
instead of being
honoured,
he is killed.
And the wonder
of it though,
in writing himself
into the story,
the wonder of it
is his death
was written
into the script
as the central
part of it.
It wasn't an accident.
So if it is true
that there is a God
who made us
and loves us,
then this is
fantastic news.
Christmas
is
unbelievable
news.
There is
in fact
such a thing
as meaning
and purpose.
There is
in fact
such a thing
as good
and evil.
And yet,
if you sit
and you
ponder it
and let it
sink in a little
bit,
you also
start to see
that this
Christmas news
is also
terrible news.
It is
humbling news
because it's
saying that
all of us,
all of humanity,
we need us,
we need
saving.
We need
rescuing.
We need
saving from a
judgement that we
rightly deserve
for living
our day-by-day
life,
trying to
create purpose
and meaning
for ourselves
and keeping
God at
arm's length.
Now,
some of us
are deeply
aware
of our
failures
and our
sin,
even if we
might not
use the
word sin.
If there
is a God
who sees
everything
and knows
everything,
then we
know that
this isn't
good.
Now,
on one
level,
that's
good and
that's
healthy.
The
Christmas
story,
the message
of Christianity
is in
no way
a self-help
message
where we
are told
that you're
kind of
mostly good
enough and
God just
gives you
that little
bit extra
help along
the way.
You see,
every time
we see
Jesus helping
someone in
the biographies,
it's those
who knew
they weren't
enough.
They're the
ones that
Jesus
welcomes.
Those who
were considered
too bad
or too
broken
were the
preferred
company
of Jesus,
the Son
of God.
And that's
us.
You see,
the reality
is none
of us
gathered here
right now
would escape
even a
moment of
embarrassment.
If every
single one
of our
thoughts
and our
actions,
every
motor
heart
was
projected
on these
screens
and live
streamed
for everyone
to see
tomorrow,
the reality
is I'd be
crushed if
it was just
today's
tally was
thrown up
on the
screen.
And yet
this God
sees it
all,
the all
seeing eye.
He sees
it all.
This is
terrible,
but it's
not the
end of
the story.
You see,
the Christmas
story,
we are told
Jesus is
presented with
three gifts.
We sang it
just a moment
ago.
Three gifts
by the
astrologers who
came from
the east,
the Magi.
And one
of those
gifts was
myrrh.
Now,
any new
mother in
first century
Palestine
would have
been thrown
by this
gift of
myrrh.
Why are
you giving
me myrrh?
It's because
myrrh was
used to
embalm
the dead.
Myrrh was
a symbol
of death.
It's like,
you know,
instead of
baubles hanging
on your
Christmas tree,
you know,
hanging little
coffins on
there instead.
Bizarre.
And yet
that's what
Jesus came
to do.
He came
to die.
That's in
fact what
he needed
to do to
bring about
reconciliation
between God
and humanity.
Jesus would
die for the
sins of
humanity.
About 33
years after
his birth,
he was
crucified just
outside of
Jerusalem.
But his
death was
not the end
of the story
because three
days later,
I'm getting
into Easter
here.
Come back
for the
full story.
But three
days later,
the tomb
was empty
and Jesus
appeared to
his followers
and over
500 people
at different
times and
he was
alive
physically.
He faced
death in
order to
defeat death.
He paid for
our sins so
that we don't
have to.
He knows
the deepest
secrets
of our
hearts.
He knows
the failures
and the
shame that
we carry
but he
loves us
all the way
to death
and back
and all
we have to
do is
trust him.
That in
reality is
the answer
to the
so what
question of
Christmas.
That is,
the so what
question is
this good
news story
can be in
fact your
good news
story.
So which
story is
yours?
You see,
the Christmas
story is
part of
God's
story of
time and
eternity
and it
really has
four parts
very briefly
there.
Chapter
one,
the God
who stands
outside of
creation,
who always
existed,
creates all
things by
speaking into
existence.
It's the
only
storyline.
That is,
the Christian
storyline is
the only
storyline of
all storylines
in the
history of
humanity
that declares
that a
divine being
created all
things out
of love.
That was
the purpose
of it.
Chapter
two,
humanity
rejects the
authority and
love of
God.
All people
live life
with no
consideration
for God
and relationship
with God
and with each
other and
with our
world is
deeply
fractured.
All
brokenness
and evil
and carnage
in this
world is
connected to
chapter two.
Chapter
three is
God's plan
to reverse
all this
brokenness
and sin.
That's what
we're talking
about here
in the
Easter and
the Christmas
story.
Jesus takes
the punishment
of God
for our
rebellion.
It's the
death that
we should
have died.
Everyone who
puts their
trust in
him is
gathered back
into
relationship
with God
and with
each other.
Chapter
four is
not really
the end
of the
story at
all.
It's the
beginning of
a chapter
that has
no end.
It's a
chapter where
God, where
Jesus reigns
with his
people in
a world of
perfection and
peace that
is remade.
That's the
good news
story of
Christmas.
Written in
history and
billions of
people over
the past
2,000 years
have found
hope and
light and
meaning and
joy in
that story.
There is
another story
however that's
risen in the
last couple
of hundred
years only.
It's taken
up residence
particularly in
the soul of
Western
civilization
mainly in
a big way
in the last
60 years.
The technical
term for it
is philosophical
naturalism.
It's really
secular
materialism.
It's a
three-chapter
story.
In the
first chapter
it states
that there's
no supernatural
or spiritual
or personal
power that
rules the
physical
universe.
Everything
that can
be seen
and measured
is a result
of an
explosion that
appeared out
of nothing
billions of
years ago.
Chapter
two of the
story is
that against
all scientific
evidence and
even scientific
reason and
even scientific
logic in
any way life
came from
no life
miraculously
and eventually
humanity
evolved from
the prehistoric
suit to be
the dominant
species of
the earth
and therefore
despite every
sense that we
might feel
there is no
such thing
as right
and wrong.
No matter
how much I
create purpose
there is no
such thing as
purpose and
meaning.
Everything in
this world is
an accident
so life has
no purpose
and it's best
therefore just to
make the most
of life,
live it the best
you can because
chapter three will
come and
chapter three is
just simply the
end.
The sun will
burn up,
humanity will
cease to exist,
there's no form
of afterlife or
survival of the
conscious and
the story of
materialism is
that what you
have right now
is as good as
it's going to
get.
The Christmas
story says
that we have
a loving
creator who
has triumphed
over evil at
great cost to
himself to
love each one
of us dearly
and we look
forward to a
day when
everything wrong
in this world
will be made
right and
we'll live with
him in blissful
joy for
eternity.
Whichever
story you
hold to,
it starts with
a premise
where you need
to put faith.
which story
is yours?
The Christmas
story might be
hard to believe
as in fact so
is the secular
materialistic story
but the Christmas
story is
unbelievably good
news.
But to get to
the point of
being good
news, we
must start by
seeing humanity
is that we
are the
villain in
God's story
and Jesus
is the
hero.
So
the
man
is the
one
who
is the
one
who
is the
one
who
is the
who
!