The message that the angels brought at Christmas-time was one of great joy and good news: to the shepherds, they said, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’ (Luke 2:10) The news of a Saviour, born to take away our sins and restore us to relationship with Almighty God, is good news indeed. In fact, the news is so good that a whole host of angels appeared, crying out, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’ (Luke 2:14) If ever there was a reason needed to party, Christmas provides the reason!

So take pleasure in the festivities, the parties, the celebrations and know that every time someone turns to God, there is a party in heaven! Jesus said, ‘there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.’ (Luke 15:7) It’s time to celebrate!

Garry looked at the plaintive carol ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ (which you can listen to here) this morning. A very old carol whose English translation was by John Mason Neale in 1851, this is a typical Advent carol with its haunting minor key tune which perfectly matches the sense of mourning and lament for our sin. It is a carol which references the Old Testament frequently and thus is highly Christological.

The use of the name ‘Emmanuel’ refers back to Isaiah 7:10-14 and is one of the names by which Jesus is known (see Matt 1:22-23). The prophecy in Isaiah (like so many) has a double fulfilment, in the immediate present (a sign to Ahaz that God would deliver him from his attacker) and in the future. The idea of people neeing to be ransomed is also a theme developed in the New Testament (see Matt 20:28, 1 Tim 2:5-6, Heb 9:15). The nation Israel had many occasions to mourn (especially when in exile), and the idea of people ‘in lonely exile’ is relevant also to us, for all God’s people do not belong on earth ultimately (see Heb 11:13-16, 1 Pet 2:11-12). Our time here is brief; we have a heavenly home and should focus on that. The first verse concludes with the living hope and the call for celebration which is a part of each verse:

‘Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.’

Verse 2 looks at the old way of living through the law and reminds us that Jesus will come again ‘in cloud and majesty and awe’ (see also Rev 1:5-7). In verse 3, talks of ‘Thou Rod of Jesse’ (a reference to Is 11:1) and reminds us of the purpose of Jesus’s coming (‘free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny/ from depths of hell Thy people save and give them victory o’er the grave.’) Heb 2:14-15 reminds us that the purpose of Jesus’s coming was to break the power of him who holds the power of death and free those who have been held in slavery by their fear of death. Death should hold no fear for us, for, as John reminds us, perfect love has the power to drive out all fear. (1 John 4:16-18) Fear is a terrible weapon used against people, but Jesus can liberate us from all fear, and as the New Testament makes clear, His resurrection shows He has dealt decisively with death. (Rom 6:4-5, 1 Cor 15:20-22, 1 Thess 4:13-18)

Other titles for Jesus are referenced in the remaining veses, including ‘Dayspring‘ (the old word for ‘dawn’ or ‘morning’, reminding us that Jesus is light), the ‘Key of David’ (one who has authority, see Rev 3:7, Luke 1:32). The carol helps us to see Jesus in many different lights and with its continued prayer ‘O come, Emmanuel‘, we are reminded of the closing prayer of John in Rev 22:20: ‘Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.’ Every Advent we look not only back at the birth of Jesus but we look forward to His return.

Advent is a time for enjoying the celebrations. Most of us have things we like to do at this time of year, whether that is exploring a Christmas market, visiting favourite places, making cakes or cookies, decorating a tree or some other tradition that has become part of your way of anticipating Christmas. This afternoon there will be a community Christmas event at Goldthorpe Railway Embankment (2.00-3.30 p.m.) when we’ll be singing carols, decorating baubles and enjoying hot drinks; such events provide great enjoyment and sense of community spirit, which is often said to be one of the chief reasons people enjoy Christmas. “People seem friendlier and happier at this time of year,” I’m often told.

Enjoying doing things is good for us. It increases our sense of wellbeing and gives us a sense of shared experience with others. Do come along this afternoon to enjoy this Christmas celebration.

Karl Barth, the famous theologian, once said, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”

It is too easy to let the media – not just newspapers these days, as we are also bombarded by online news channels on TV which run 24/7 and news from a plethora of sites on social media – shape our thinking and our moods. In these circumstances, the world’s narrative shapes our worldview (or ‘Weltanschauung’, as the Germans put it!) We are influenced by what others tell us is happening and by their interpretation of it. We very rarely question if this is correct or not because ‘mass media’ overwhelms us.

Karl Barth was not against knowing what the newspapers report. Jesus himself said that his followers remain in the world (John 17:11) and did not pray for us to be taken out of the world. (John 17:15) Instead, he acknowledged that we are not of the world (John 17:16). It is therefore imperative that Christians learn to balance the torrent from the media with God’s word and ultimately allow God’s word to shape their understanding, to ‘interpret newspapers from your Bible.’

God’s narrative, His take on human history and His personal involvement in that history, will rarely be reported in newspapers. Their worldview is godless; their narrative is dictated by politicians and powerful rich people. The kingdom of God does not work like this.

In recent times, I have felt it prudent to turn off the news to some extent becuase its narrative is so unrelentlessly negative and actively promotes fear and desperation. Christians should not be dependent on Government pronouncements or regulations to feel secure. Our security, hope and confidence must be in God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ (Rev 1:8) Anything else will ultimately fail us.

Yesterday we hosted two on-screen performances of 4FrontTheatre‘s Christmas show ‘The Satellite Before Christmas.’ The show, which looks at topical issues such as space waste, ever-changing regulations and the disappointment of ruined plans (all of which surely resonate with us!) also had much to teach us on patience, hope, awe and wonder as well as rejoicing in all circumstances. We heard the Christmas story once again through Bible readings, carols and prayers, skilfully woven into a space story that had a nod to many other films! It was a great way to prepare for Christmas! Our thanks, as always, to the talented cast who made this a truly memorable experience, attended by 79 people, and to the Salvation Army for providing iced lollipops to make this feel like a real cinema experience!

Most people enjoy Christmas and rightly see it as a celebration. The ‘E’ of ‘Advent’ stands for enjoyment. The Westminster Catechism tells us that ‘the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever’, but somehow, Christianity seems to have become divorced from joy and pleasure, with people associating the faith with doom and gloom, restrictions and prohibition. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Pleasure and enjoyment are God’s idea. Paul tells Timothy to teach others to ‘put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.’ (1 Tim 6:17) James tells us ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’ (James 1:17) Blessing, abundance and joy are gifts from God, a God who is good and who does what is good. (Ps 119:68)

Christmas stirs our God-given capacity for joy, and although there will be always be those among us who hate the festivities for a variety of reasons, most of us look forward to pleasure with hope and expectation. It’s only fitting that in this time of preparation, enjoyment plays a key role.