Christmas can be a poignant and painful time for many people, particularly those who have lost loved ones during the year and who face their first Christmas without them. I’m very aware also that for every miracle of new life this year, there will be those who have miscarried or lost children or who are unable to conceive and who struggle at this time of unalloyed joy. The Bible is realistic about the pain of childlessness. The Nativity story in Luke’s gospel begins with the apparently unconnected story of an elderly couple named Elizabeth and Zechariah who, despite being old and having been married a long time, had no children. ‘Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly’ (Luke 1:6), we are told, but it seemed that this counted for nothing, because they still did not have what they longed for: a child. There are many people who will relate to that feeling and who are struggling with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness at this time, and maybe even feeling bitter and resentful towards God.

God intervened miraculously in this situation (much to their surprise!), and the result was a son, John the Baptist, who would go before Jesus ‘to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ (Luke 1:17) This reminds us that God is able to step into our ordinary, everyday lives and do amazing things, but it also reminds us that we serve a God who knows all about suffering and pain. The joy and wonder of Christmas can never be divorced from its purpose: God, sending a Saviour who would die on the cross for our sins. This is not a time for superficial, artificial joy. It’s a time when we celebrate the birth of the One who would be ‘a man of suffering and familiar with pain.’ (Is 53:3)

It’s been wonderful to host two parties for the Parent & Toddler group which meets twice weekly at church. We had about 20 children at each party and it’s lovely to have spent time this term getting to know new families. On some occasions, we have parents and grandparents attending and we even have a great-grandma coming along. We very much value the generations and family spirit within the group.

Here are some photos from the parties held last Friday and this morning.

I’ve chosen the word ‘Nativity’ to describe the ‘N’ of ‘Advent’. ‘Nativity’ is a word that everyone knows is associated with Christmas (probably from the idea of the ‘Nativity play’ at primary school, when the Christmas story is acted out by young children), but it’s not a word they would use in any other context. ‘Nativity’ refers to the birth of a person (from the Latin word ‘nativus’), and there’s a sense in which every birth should evoke awe and wonder in us.

We talk about the miracle of birth, and if we stop and think about conception, pregnancy and birth, we will indeed be filled with awe and wonder. At the Parent and Toddler group which meets at church, we have seen a number of babies born this year and it’s fantastic to see these babies brought to the group – and also to see how the toddlers react to them. My 2-year-old granddaughter loves to gaze at the babies and stroke them; she senses there is something precious before her and talks in a quiet, soothing way to them (quite unlike her usual boisterous manner!)

As we prepare to remember and celebrate the birth of a very special baby, let’s celebrate also the births of every child we know this year and be grateful for the miracle of birth.

The book of Esther narrates events in Jewish history that happened during their Babylonian exile. This was a difficult, challenging time for the Jewish people who had been unceremoniously carted off to a foreign land by an invading army more powerful than they.  Ps 137 captures the sorrow felt by people (‘By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion… How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?’)

Marginalised and relatively unimportant in comparison to the ‘might’ of Babylon, we might expect the Jewish story to end here. But God’s promises to His people can never be discounted and the book of Esther – while never mentioning God’s name directly – demonstrates to us that He is at work in the lives of His people at all times, even when others have definite plans to remove them history permanently.

Esther and her cousin Mordecai are, like Joseph, in the right place at the right time to thwart the plans of evil. That is no coincidence, but an example of God’s providence and a reminder to us all that our actions can have a significance and importance far greater than we could predict. Their courage, wisdom and faithfulness to God are models for us to follow.

Right now, it is easy to believe that God’s people are insignificant, unimportant, even irrelevant. It’s easy to believe that evil will triumph. But history teaches us that this has always been how it looks. Eugene Peterson, in the introduction to Esther in the Message version of the Bible, says, ‘No matter how many of them you kill, you can’t get rid of the communities of God-honouring, God-serving, God-worshipping people scattered all over the earth. This is still the definitive word.’

So, if you feel in despair over the state of the church and what is currently happening in the world, remember Esther. God hasn’t finished with us yet.

‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…’

‘Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh…’

‘Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop…’

Christmas songs often focus on things we enjoy doing at this time of year. That could be drinking mulled wine or eggnog (both of which I personally hate!)… tucking into chocolates or mince pies or pigs in blankets… going to parties or other outdoor events… playing in the snow. What we enjoy will be personal to each one of us, and it’s not always easy in family life if tastes differ! (One person’s brisk walk in the cold could be another person’s nightmare, for example.) But there’s no doubt that enjoyment adds to a sense of pleasure and can forge bonds of togetherness and unity which enhance our Christmas experiences.

Enjoyment in the simple things of life undoubtedly adds to our overall joy, but God reminds us that He is the source of joy. Ps 16:11 says, ‘You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’ If we want to know joy that lasts through sorrow and suffering, we will only find that in God. The fact is that He has eternal pleasures for us now – and ones that don’t have any adverse side effects!

Dave spoke last night from Matt 2:1-12, the narrative which tells us of the wise men’s search for Jesus. As with so many aspects of the Christmas story, God does not work in ways we could predict. The birth of the long-awaited Messiah was not announced to the whole world but only to a few shepherds and to these foreign wise men. This event was the greatest thing that had ever happened to the nation of Israel in its entire history, but Israel was at the time ignorant of what had taken place. As always, this reminds us that God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. (1 Cor 1:27)

The wise men asked Herod about the whereabouts of the king of the Jews, but Herod had had no idea of the amazing events happening just in Bethlehem. In the same way, Jesus has come to earth, and despite all the celebrations at this time of year, many do not know or choose to ignore that this time is a celebration of that fact! Those of us who do know have a responsibility to let others know, for whilst we may not know everything about Jesus, we do know that He is the only answer for our world’s needs. The wise men also came, not simply because they had seen his star, but because they wanted to worship Him. Their curiosity and desire to see Jesus became their consuming focus.

These men saw the young child and worshipped Him and gave Him gifts. This has to be the order for all of us: we need to see and worship before we can give. Their gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh) were costly, as was Mary’s, the alabaster box of costly perfume representing all her wordly possessions. Love and worship, generosity and gratitude should always be our response to the love of Jesus.