Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome to our Carols by Candlelight Service.

It is a great pleasure to have you here especially if you are a guest.

Just so you know, do not rush away after singing your hearts out, for after this evening’s service there will be coffee, tea, and mince pies through this door after the service.

We have two more Christmas services: one is our midnight service that, you guessed it, begins at 11:15…that is 11:15 at night and we shall finish just after midnight on Christmas Day.

Then our second service will be at 10am on Christmas Day.

You are all most welcome to come to one or both of the services.

Prayer

As last year, I will start with a bible prophecy that was told about 700 years before Jesus came:

CAROL: Once in royal David’s city

Read by Helene:

CAROL: O little town

Read by Judith:

Carol: Silent night

Read by Julie:

Carol: See amid the winter’s snow

Prayer

Carol: Angels from the realms of glory

Read by me:

VIDEO: Immanuel

I always fancied myself a comedian and perhaps in another life in a parallel universe I might have been!

What did Adam say to his wife the day before Christmas?

It’s Christmas, Eve!

What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?

The Christmas alphabet has No-el.

I’m sure you are thinking by now that you did not miss your calling as a comedian!

I have one more: And you are familiar with the format so do respond:

Knock, knock

Who’s there?

Jesus

Jesus who?

Really?

You don’t know who?! How can you not know?!

I set you up there!

But there is a serious point here: There is much that we take for granted as Christians in relation to Christmas.

For instance, we assume that children know that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, right?

But could it be that a 1/3rd of children here in the UK do not know that?

Apparently not.

So, the Jesus knock, knock joke would have left them confused - Jesus who?

And if they are able to answer the who question it is because they hear Jesus Christ as a cuss word not because they know anything about Him.

I hope that you know the story of Christmas but I never like to leave anything to chance!

And it is an opportunity to speak about the real meaning of Christmas.

Of course, there are some people who might say that Christmas is not Christian at all, and of course, they would be right; the festival has pagan origins, of course, and Jesus would never have been born in the winter and the wise men of the nativity scene did not turn up until about 2 years after Jesus’ birth.

Tradition sometimes hides the truth.

But some of our Christmas traditions are rooted in church history, and if we know their origins we’ll appreciate them more.

For example, the hanging of stockings by the fireplace is just about the first and oldest of our traditions.

For most of human history, most people didn’t have extensive wardrobes.

Socks in particular had to be washed out at night and hung by the fire to dry for the next day.

Centuries ago, a teenager named Nicholas from the city of Patara on the Mediterranean coast in ancient Turkey entered the ministry.

He became a popular bishop in the city of Myra.

In one of his ministry trips, Nicholas was in a particular city.

While there he heard of a widower trying to raise three daughters.

They were on the verge of starvation, and this man was unable to provide a dowry for his girls.

As a result, they were unable to get married.

Even worse, they were in danger of being sold into slavery.

Burdened for this family, Nicholas went to the home by night.

The eldest daughter’s stockings were hanging by the fireplace, and Nicholas reached through the window and tossed a coin into the stocking.

He reportedly later did the same for the other girls.

Thus it became a tradition on that day for children to hang their stockings by the fireplace where, during the night, a treat would be place in them.

Lot’s of things creep into our minds about what Christmas is all about, whether it is about family and friends, about presents, about a break from work, about the food.

But all these things are secondary for the clue is in the word ‘Christmas’.

It is about Christ.

The original festival held in December may not have had anything to do with Jesus but this time of year now being called Christmas reminds us of the great love God has for the world.

This is the true meaning of Christmas.

The bible says that God became flesh and dwelt among us.

What a phenomenal thing to have happened!

God, creator the universe, entered this little speck in space to be born like one of us, a human being.

So, nearly 2000 years ago a baby was born in Bethlehem, (just about the only thing carols actually get right).

This child was God showing His love to the world for He gave us the greatest gift anyone could receive: His own Son: Jesus Christ.

As the Psalmist said:

Jesus was born impoverished, sleeping in a feeding trough for the animals, rather than in a palace.

This child was called the light of the world.

That’s because we are in darkness trying to feel our way through this world.

The darkness has a name: sin.

What is sin? it is all the wrong things we have done and all the right things we have not done.

Sin is like an inherited disease and we are born in it, and because God is light, brilliant light, unapproachable light, light so white sin is so offensive to God who is holy; the only just sentence is death.

The only One not born in sin is Jesus whose name means Saviour.

The light who had come into the world as a child at Christmas was rejected and put to death.

While Jesus was dying darkness came over the whole land for 3 hours.

In a mysterious way he took upon himself all our darkness; all our sin and as a result died.

You see, God gave His Son at Christmas to solve a problem.

He did not want us to die without Him in hopelessness, so He sent His Son to take our punishment.

He paid for our sin with His death.

And then three days after dying on the cross Jesus rose from the dead defeating darkness; defeating sin; defeating death.

Now he wants to do an exchange with you.

You give him your darkness…and he will give you his light.

You give him your sin and he will give you his righteousness – in this way He will make you right with God.

Sounds like a great deal, a great gift, a great present to receive at Christmas for, as we Christians are apt to say; this is the reason for the season.

Jesus was born at Christmas to grow up and die for all of us so that we could be reconciled with God and have peace and hope this Christmas.

The choice is ours: to stay in darkness or to receive the light of the world.

What will you do with Jesus this Christmas?

Will you come and worship the King?

Christians, it is also a time to share the good news with others, glad tidings as the angels said.

Christmas for many can be a sad, lonely, heartbreaking time of year.

Christmas may not be a time of celebration for for many others for one reason or another.

We need to be mindful of others for depression and suicides rocket and family breakdowns increase because of the pressure of this time of year.

We need to tell people of the hope that we have.

We have been given the Holy Spirit to live in us and so we can apply the words that were first applied to Jesus found in Isaiah 61 and:

Not only are we to tell people we are to demonstrate it in acts of kindness in the same way as Nicholas did way back when in helping a poor family and in the way Jesus went round doing good.

Will you give the gift of Jesus this year?

Knock knock!