Christmas eve sermon St. Marks

What did Adam say at this time of year. Its Christmas Eve!!

Excitement is mounting, are we going to wait till daylight to delve under the tree and see what surprises are waiting for us. Technically we could go straight home after the service and start unwrapping. It might be nice to wait for the kids though, its only another few hours.

When I was a kid, there was a favourite which was like a long lasting treat, superhero comics, Superman was first, Batman and Robin were up there but not really equals with Superman. No doubt the psychologists would tell us that it is the innate projection of self, particularly child self to hero status, world changing power and strength, wisdom of course and all for the good.

Our aspirations mellow a little with age but most can still relate to a little projection here and there when it comes to a romantic movie or it may still be possible to be swept away by Indiana Jones and perhaps give a little fodder to the psychologist fly on the wall.

There are some real life super heroes or super villains who have made world changing contributions. We can dig back into history and names like Ghengis Khan, Attilla the Hun William the Conqueror and Hannibal come to mind .

More recently Hitler comes to mind, and whilst military might is still the most obvious world changing method, economic domination has become a world changing device to alter the global power balance.

Perhaps the greatest world changing has been carried out by scientists and philosophers names like Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Michaelangelo, names like Galelieo, Einstien, Newton, are all major contributors to present day life through the major changes their work or thought has achieved.

They are real life transformers, but what about the babe whose birth we celebrate tonight.

Mohammed Ali used to claim “I am the greatest” and

John Lennon it seems thought himself as more important than Jesus and whilst I enjoyed his music it demonstrates just how fashions of the world are really fly by night.

Stephen Hawkings recently stated that God was not necessarily a part of the big bang, the universe starting point. it all could have happened in the absence of God. Which seemed to indicate that God is redundant, therefore so is his son Jesus.

2.1 billion people would disagree with you Stephen, 2.1 billion relationships with Jesus Christ, at the present time, which no amount of logic or science could convince a believer that their relationship is not real.

The doubters may have logic but the believers have proof. We have answered prayer, we have guidance we have support in adversity and we have love which is often poured into the hearts of believers..

We live in a world where the Devil has a lot of influence, and his name means deceiver. For very good reason. Those who don’t have a faith in Christ are convinced that the consumerist, competitive, aggressive, self seeking self promoting world we live in is all that can be hoped for and who would want for more. That probably depends on how well you are doing in the winner takes all Well, money and power are the currency of the life that the deceiver would have us believe is ideal.

It is as though there is a false ceiling which hides the truth of all that is available through faith in God and his Son Jesus, so that with world blinkers on, it is all about self and we are conditioned not to care or live out the Spirit’s urging to help those in need.

Jesus the transformer, the genuine superhero bursts through that false ceiling, not glass ceiling, more like a virtual reality ceiling which hides the God values which are made real in Jesus. And Unlike the comic book superheroes or the military strongmen of the world, Jesus has paid the price which seals his victory. It only awaits human choice to accept his gift and the victory is realised. The human would be’s have to keep facing another and another challenger until the inevitable happens. When we do make that choice our perspective on life changes,

With Jesus within us, we have global vision so to speak, we can see past the glitz and glamour of the world, past that false ceiling, and appreciate the love, care and compassion which come from God and are shared by Christians and well meaning people.

I was interested to see that the Christian count is now 2.1 billion. When I first looked up that figure about 5 years ago it was 1.5 billion. And seeing that growth brings me to one of my favourite bible passages, “That every knee will bend and every head bow and every tongue in heaven, on earth and under the earth will confess Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the father.”

The reason that vast numbers are turning to Christ is not only that the gospel is good news but also that the gospel is transforming, life changing and the better news is that this transformation is not just a one off event.

The same Jesus who had his humble earthly beginnings in a stable surrounded by lowly animals, joined by shepherds and visited by sages from afar has transformed the world by transforming countless lives and will continue to do so until the whole of creation is subject to him. Subject but sisters and brothers at the same time.

It is hard to imagine a Christmas without gifts and though St. Nicholas is credited with beginning the tradition, it seems logical to credit God through the giving Jesus as a free gift, a gift which just keeps on giving and keeps transforming.

There are already countless testimonials as to how Jesus has changed people’s lives, how he has healed them, has bought them from despair to hope. Given meaning to lives which were lost, given guidance, response to prayer to every person who has prayed. And these are just the trappings, the real gift is that of salvation.

So as we pause in the still of the night, we can imagine the manger scene, we can hear the silence of the stars, picture the shepherds and sages coming in wonder and awe to pay homage to the Christ child.

Many have experienced or witnessed the mothers Joy and fathers relief and joy as a baby is delivered and Mary and Joseph were at least partly aware of the significance of this child from God.

This gift to the world which had already transformed lives by day one.

We are constantly badgered from the pulpit to respond to the gift we have received and we do so gladly. What better response to love is there than love in return. And then to just let the transforming take its course.

I was directed to a bible passage last week, Paul tells the Galatians that it is no longer he that lives but that Christ that is alive in him. This is transforming as instead of thinking of ourselves with a shadow or image of Christ within, the formula is reversed and it is Christ within with a shadow of self. We are still recognisable as personalities but know that our motivation is from Christ.

I found that passage transforming and Whilst we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, we also celebrate the re birth of Jesus as we bring him to the centre of our lives through baptism and confirmation and we celebrate the rebirth of Jesus as he transforms lives be it from brokenness and sin or as another step in an ongoing faith journey.

Isaiah is perhaps the best known prophet of all and for good reason. Not only did he foreshadow the overthrow of Judea by the Assyrians but also the return of the exiles from Babylon, and the restoration of Jerusalem but he told us in graphic detail about the death of Jesus.

Tonight we focus on the beginning of Jesus life and the transformation that followed and to finish we should keep in perspective the extent of that transformation.

The same Isaiah whose track record is unsuppassed when it comes to prophesy quotes God in the context of his describing the upraising of Israel through Jesus and says in CH 45 v 23 “before me every knee will bow and every tongue will swear.”

So brothers and sisters, as you open your gifts in the morning, remember the priceless gift, the transformation which has happened through Jesus already and all that is to come. Amen