Nowadays, the name ‘Ebenezer’ is most probably associated with Dickens’ famous character, Ebenezer Scrooge, who features in the famous story ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Written in 1843, this story shows us how the skinflint, miserly, miserable Scrooge, with his ‘Bah! Humbug!‘ attitude to Christmas, is changed by visits from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, to become a warm, giving, generous man.

There is irony in his name, for Scrooge is synonymous initially with all that is mean and miserly, but eventually, as he is changed, he does indeed become a ‘stone of help’ to others, supporting them through his wealth and finding the truth of Jesus’s words that it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

Many thanks to all who have supported the food bank throughout this year. We will be helping the Salvation Army to pack up and distribute Christmas hampers to needy families tomorrow and are praying that God will bless all those in need at this time of year especially, that they might find the help and refuge only God provides.

Mark spoke this morning from 1 Samuel 7:1-17, highlighting 7 points from this narrative about how the Israelites responded to Philistine threats. This passage also goes some way to explaining the hymn ‘Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ with its line ‘here I raise my Ebenezer’, for this is the passage where Samuel builds a stone of remembrance to all that God has done (the meaning behind the word ‘Ebenezer’.)

1. Repentance is key to our restored relationship with God. The Israelites had abandoned true worship and followed false gods, hence the loss of the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines and the fact that even when it was returned to their land, they were not ready to receive it fully. Only when they truly repented and turned back to God could they be restored to God.

2. Prayer and fasting was the response of the Israelites to the work God was doing in their lives. It has to be our response too. There has to be a spiritual, practical response to demonstrate the reality of our repentance.

3. Samuel led the way to restored relationships through prayer and sacrifice. God saw the people’s sincerity and responded.

4. 1 Sam 7:9 reminds us that God hears and answers prayer.

5. ‘The Lord thundered’. God’s response to our heartfelt repentance and prayer, fasting and sacrifice is to speak into our situation and to work in ways which are truly awesome. God can thunder on our behalf, changing situations around. The Israelites did not even have to fight against the Philistines. No plan of the enemy can stand against us (Is 54:17); we are more than conquerors through Christ. (Rom 8:37)

6. When God steps into our situations and changes things around, we need to remember and declare what God has done. Samuel took a stone and set it up as a memorial (1 Sam 7:12) as a visual reminder of God’s help. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Ps 46:1) He is able to work in awesome ways on our behalf and we need to remind ourselves of how God intervenes for us out of His grace and favour.

7. God brings restoration and peace to the land and to our situations.

We were encouraged to take small stones from the box Mark provided so that we could hold on in faith to the promise that God is going to work in our situations and to remind ourselves that He is our ‘stone of help’ at all times.

Today we have two songs, one from Mary’s perspective and one from Joseph’s.

I have travelled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I’ve done.
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now to carry Your Son

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me.’ (‘Breath of Heaven’, Amy Grant)

Joseph is often the silent character in the Nativity, but this song looks at how he perhaps felt as he cradled Jesus in his arms:

‘How could it be, this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angel said
How could it be?
Lord, I know He’s not my own,
Not of my flesh, not of my bone
Still, Father, let this baby be
The son of my love.

Father show me where I fit into this plan of Yours
How can a man be father to the Son of God?
Lord, for all my life I’ve been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king? How can I raise a king?
He looks so small, His face and hands so fair
And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear
But when He laughs it shines again
How could it be?’ (‘Joseph’s Song’, Michael Card)

Most of you who read this regularly know that my favourite Christmas album is Michael Card’s ‘The Final Word’, which strictly speaking is not a ‘Christmas’ album at all, but a masterly exposition of the Incarnation of Christ. Today’s song ‘Immanuel‘ comes from this (being re-recorded on Card’s more traditional Christmas album ‘The Promise’), reminding us of Romans 8:31 and Isaiah 9:6-7. It also includes one of my favourite lyric descriptions of Jesus: ‘a human baby bearing undiminished deity.’ Enjoy!

‘A sign shall be given
A virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing
Undiminished deity
The glory of the nations
A light for all to see
That hope for all who will embrace
His warm reality

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us?
Our God is with us
Immanuel.

For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold your light has come

So what will be your answer?
Will you hear the call?
Of Him who did not spare His son
But gave him for us all
On earth there is no power
There is no depth or height
That could ever separate us
From the love of God in Christ.’ (‘Immanuel’, Michael Card)

Rend Collective’s version of this traditional carol ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee’ is delicate and reflective, reminding us that God is the giver of immortal gladness and that we can rejoice because He is with us.

‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!‘

Hopefully this is not a weather forecast! Today’s song (delayed from yesterday, alas) looks at the fact that Christmas is the time when we remember specifically how God chose to come to us. We would have expected Christ to come in majesty, pomp and splendour, but instead He came to a stable in Bethlehem. Little wonder the wise men were confused about where to find the king! So often, God’s ways are not our ways and the way He works confuses and bewilders us, but as we pause and linger at the stable, let’s remember that chaos and apparent rejection can actually all be part of God’s will.

‘Could’ve come like a mighty storm,
With all the strength of a hurricane.
You could’ve come like a forest fire
With the power of Heaven in Your flame

Oh, You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below.’ (‘Winter Snow’, Chris Tomlin & Audrey Assad)