Christmas is weird, isn't it?
There's lots of weird things about Christmas.
It's the only time of the year we chop down a tree
and some families set fire
to their Christmas pudding.
Any families here that set fire?
That is great.
Traditionalists.
Weird things about Christmas.
Things that we don't understand.
But there's nothing compared
to the very first Christmas.
The very first Christmas
was really weird, wasn't it?
There was a star
above Bethlehem.
There were wise men that brought presents
that cost thousands
and thousands of thousands of parents
to a family they'd never met before
and they didn't know.
None of those things happened
when I had a baby.
No shepherds turned up.
I didn't have a baby.
No, my wife turned a baby.
Shepherds didn't turn up.
Wiser men didn't turn up.
Why did they happen?
Why did all these weird things happen
at that first Christmas?
Well, because the baby is an incredible infant.
That's the first thing I've got to say today.
An incredible infant.
We saw that in the reading, didn't we?
The name that Mary and Joseph
gave to their baby
was Jesus.
He was going to give birth to a son
and his name shall be Jesus.
Which means,
the word Jesus means God saves.
It's a strange name, isn't it?
It's like calling your child fireman.
Fireman.
God saves.
And Jesus showed everyone
he was God the saviour.
This baby is God.
Now that explains some weird things.
He is an incredible infant.
It explains the star in the sky.
God is entering this world.
The wise men, the angels.
And I think, don't you,
I think it would be very weird
if weird things didn't happen
when God entered the world.
He is the king of the universe.
Christmas, that first Christmas,
is a big fuss
because the creator
is entering his creation.
Jesus is God.
Is there a God?
You might ask that.
Well, Jesus shows what God is like.
Just look at Jesus
in the pages of the Bible.
And there is nothing
un-God-like in Jesus.
An incredible infant.
An incredible infant,
secondly,
who had a low-down life.
The Christmas story
is not just about
the amazing things, is it?
It's not just about the star
and the wise men
and the gifts
and the shepherds
and choirs of angels.
The story of Christmas
is very humble.
It's very lowly.
They end up in someone else's house.
On someone else's floor.
Maybe even sharing a room
with sheep and with goats
and with cows.
Or, as you know,
the baby is put in a manger.
There's no talk of a cattle shed.
But there is talk of a manger.
He's put in a feeding trough.
It's very, very lowly.
It's meant to jar us.
It's not what you would expect
when God comes to the world.
Now, you sing a song, don't you,
in Christ,
Christ,
and Son of the Spirit.
My God is so
big, so
and so
there's nothing my
the
the stars are his
my God is so
so
and so mighty.
There's nothing my God can do.
Now I'm going to teach you two new verses, okay?
Here's a few verses.
Okay?
Here they are.
This verse says,
My God is so small
so weak
and so helpless
there's nothing that God child can do.
Is that alright?
My God is so small
so weak and so helpless
there's nothing that God child can do.
The mountains are his
the rivers are his
the stars are his handiwork too.
But my God is so small
so weak and so helpless
there's nothing my God
will not do for you.
And that's the story of Christmas, isn't it?
The God is so big
so strong
so mighty
becomes
so small
so weak
and so helpless.
And the God child
lies in a manger
and there's nothing
he can do.
But wonderfully
that God child
is so small
so weak
and so helpless
there's nothing
that he will not do for you.
Jesus had a low young life
his dad was a carpenter.
Lots of people didn't like him
there's nothing special about him.
The people he went to
were not the rich
and the famous
they were
the lowly
and the humble
and the poor.
people that you and I
might think
oh
they believe me
but not for Jesus.
Jesus is God
he could have
hanged out with angels
couldn't he
but he hanged out
with losers.
And in the end
he died on the cross
now why
is he dying on the cross?
So the incredible infant
the lowly life
would be the Greek gift.
Great Christmas gifts
is brilliant isn't it?
What's been your favourite
gift of the morning?
So don't tell me.
Peter
what was your favourite
gift this morning?
Your white
Debbie
what was your favourite
gift this morning?
Do you have an opener?
All these traditionalists
John
a bike racing
blu-ray
have you opened
your presents yet
Marius?
What was your favourite
present this morning?
A jumper
it's a very nice
jumper isn't it?
Everybody compliment
what about you
Rebecca?
What was yours?
A face
meeting
face painting
set
face painting
sounds
to death
is it?
It's great
gifts
great gifts
sometimes boring
presents
imagine you
got up this
morning
and there was
a parcel
at the end
of your bed
and you opened
it up
and it was
washing up
liquid
boring presents
I bought
Clara Blender
once
Jesus comes
to bring you
rescue
what a rubbish
gift
rubbish
gift
but it is
actually the
greatest gift
you should
call his
name
Jesus
for he
will
save
his
people
from
their
sins
and
Jesus
means
God
saves
but here's
the thing
you might be sitting here this morning
and you might think
I don't need that gift
I don't need it
but let me say this to you
you could go without any present
that you will have today
you could go without the greatest present
that you've got
but you cannot do without this present
for us
because he will save his people
from their sins
what is sin?
sin is living life without God
we wake up
we get on with our day
we brush our teeth
we get out of the house
we go on our way
and we don't think
of God
God is the God of all
he gave us everything
we enjoy
he should be our God
so how do you think
God feels
when we live life
without thanking him
without honouring him
and in fact
we just ignore him
how do we treat people
we don't like?
we never thank them
we never bother with them
in fact we just try to avoid them
sometimes we even ignore them
it's like I invite you
to my house
for Christmas day
and I welcome you in
and as soon as you're in
you open the front door
and you push me
out of my own house
and you lock the door
and you throw away the key
and I'm outside
of my own home
and that is how we treat God
and we need rescuing
from that
from ourselves
the angels tell us
that he came to save us
from our sins
that he came to take
the punishment
that we deserve
for pushing them out
and locking the door
the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ
is a little bit like a key
it's a little bit like the key
that unlocks the door
that you pushed God out of
and that door
opens that door
so God can come in
and we can be friends
and know him forever
and that's what Christmas is about
it is about God's invitation
to be friends with him
and it's invitation
for all people
for people who come to church
every week
for people who come to church
maybe just once a year
you can have this gift
this gift is for you
simply by acknowledging
the reality of how you've lived
that you've lived life
without paying any attention
to his son
and saying sorry
and asking to be forgiven
and if we will mean it
God will say yes
Christmas makes us do
weird things
people sing songs
and love singing songs
they don't believe in
things they don't do
for the rest of the year
they decorate their house
in a way that they never
decorated in February
or January
they send cards to people
that they can't even remember
who they are
we eat turkey
when none of us really like it
and maybe today
you can do something else
that you wouldn't normally do
that you think
may be a little bit weird
you've been thinking
about the Lord Jesus
God has come to save us
in his son
if we could save ourselves
he wouldn't need to have
sent his son
God came to save us
through Jesus
and whatever gifts
you get this year
and I hope you get
who you want it
I hope you get great gifts
I hope you have a great day
but even the greatest gift
that you get today
doesn't compare
with the greatest gift
of knowing God
through Jesus
because we have treated him
like an enemy
and we can leave here today
knowing him as our friend
and so I want to wish you
a very very happy Christmas
but I want you to think
and I want you to consider
Christ Jesus came into this world
to see the sinners
let's pray