midnight mass

Is there anyone in the Western World who doesn’t feel something different about Christmas, from all other days in the year.  For children, it is the delight of gift-giving and receiving; for adults, it is seeing the pleasure of the children as they open their presents, and re-living the memories of our childhood Christmas’, when all the preparations and the gifts seemed far simpler than today, and certainly less expensive! For Christian believers, there is a different side to Christmas, it is the joy of once again celebrating the coming of The Messiah, God’s Son, The Christ Child.

Who is this child whose birth we, and many millions of people throughout the world celebrate this night? It’s a question left before us each Christmas, when the story opens with Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph, the angels singing, and the shepherds, real working and struggling people, the first to come and behold this strange new gift born to a world on the edge of despair. And the answer then, 2000 years ago in that stable in Bethlehem is the same answer for us this night, when our world is again on the edge of despair and the future looks rather bleak, not only for us but for our children and their children.  This child who we celebrate this night is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

The Gospel writers struggled to explain in words, their understanding of Jesus as the Son of God, the long expected Messiah, that Isaiah prophesied about in the Old Testament. Their words for us today, touch on the heart of the mystery that somehow, God has come into the world through Jesus; God has entered our human story and has forever changed us and the course of human history. Rather than telling us exactly how this happened, because it is impossible for us humans to fully understand the work of God, the Gospel writers give us broad images of what Jesus as the Son of God means. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews puts it like this, “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being”. St John describes Jesus as the “Light of the World”. But more importantly John tells us that Jesus is the WORD.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John is making the connection between Jesus and God, the expression and Word of God, the one who was with God from the beginning, who was responsible with God for the creation of the world. .

Between the beautiful story of the nativity we hear in Luke’s Gospel this evening, and the powerful image at the start of John’s Gospel, there lies the paradox of the Christian faith. The strongest becomes the weakest; the most exalted amongst us becomes the most humble; God’s overwhelming majesty becomes God’s humility through Christ’s death on the Cross to save us from our sins.  That’s what Jesus’ birth tells us. The normal way of things has now been turned upside down, the meek will inherit the earth, the poor, the sick, the homeless, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, the sinners of this world will be saved because that is what Jesus came to do.  That’s what Jesus is telling us to do, to Love our neighbours as ourselves.

God speaks to us through His Son, and tells us very clearly that He is a God of love, a God who loves each and every one of us, no matter how we live our lives or what we have done.  God loves the saint and the sinner equally, and gives us His love unconditionally, that’s the most wonderful gift anyone can give us. Its the best Christmas present you or I could ever be given, to know that God loves us completely and unconditionally, despite our failings.

That baby born in the manger, Jesus Christ, is the love of God made human, and we receive that love all our lives. We don’t have to earn it, its not a case of Father Christmas only comes to good children, God lives in the heart of everyone, we may not realise it, or indeed want it, we may even fight against it, but the truth is God is in us always, after all He created us as unique individuals, just as He created all the world. He knows each and every one of us and loves us. And that is the most wonderful thing for us to remember, no matter what we do in our lives, no matter how much we turn our backs on God, and say God isn’t important in our lives any more, no matter how hard we try to turn away from His love, no matter how much we may deny the existence of God, the truth is that God continues to love each and every one of us.

If God gives us this wonderful gift of His love, what do we have to do in return?  We have grown up with the idea, that it’s polite if we receive a gift to give a gift in return, that’s why Christmas is so expensive, and why shops make so much money, we always think we have to repay the kindness. Well, in return for His love, God wants us to Love Him, and love each other, especially those who really need our love, those that Jesus came to save, the poor, the sick, the homeless, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners and the sinners of this world. 

Proclaiming the message of God’s love and sharing that love is the very reason for the church. As Christian people we must reach out to those who feel they are beyond God’s love, and let them know that God really does love them and cares for them, cares what happens to them.  If a church and a community are not sharing the love of God, it isn’t God’s fault but ours. We can never fully repay the love God has for us, the love shown to us in the birth of that baby in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, but we can try and live out our lives sharing the love God has for us, we can show it in the way we live our own lives, and in the way we treat other people, especially those who are different from us, truly loving our neighbours as ourselves. As we share the Love God has given to us with others, we help to make the Word of God, experienced through His Son, Jesus Christ, real in the world here and now.

Our world is on the edge of despair, just as much as it was when Jesus was born, we need this baby born in a manger, this Christ child to make a difference in our lives and in the world today and to bring Light back into the darkness.  If we love God and share God’s love with those we meet, we can help to bring about a better world for everyone. We could really change this world for the better, for our children, and grandchildren. Now that really is a Christmas present worth having. A Blessed and Joyous Christmas to you all. Amen.