At the end of every year, there is always a sense of looking back, of reviewing, of reflecting and then, with the dawn of a new year, a sense of looking forward and anticipating.

If we want to put this in technical terms, what we are doing here is called ‘anamnesis’ (remembering) and ‘prolepsis’ (anticipating). Both the looking back and the looking forward are essential for us to live rightly in the now.

Tim Hughes talks about the cross as ‘the greatest day in history’, and there is a sense in which history indeed is divided by that momentous event. We even date our years according to the coming of Christ into the world. Christ’s incarnation really is the dividing point; it’s that point when the Old Covenant meets the New Covenant, when we finally see how God’s plan is going to be worked out. The Old Testament saints lived in anticipation of that day; the New Testament saints and the rest of us live in reflection of that day.

Looking back over 2010, I am reminded of all God has done in Goldthorpe this year. We started out in the snow, not knowing if St Mark’s would ever be ours. By February, we were in the building, working away at transforming it, with a sense of shocked awe. The money kept being topped up, rather like the widow’s oil. New windows and blinds were put in. A new fire door put in. All paid for through the generosity of people and the provision of God. Amazing.

Then came the move from Beever Street to Market Street: only 3 streets geographically, maybe, but a real leap forward in faith and declaration of God’s power.

In July, we had the official Open Day and welcomed hundreds of people into the building: those from near and far who had prayed, worked, joined with us and just wanted to share in the joy.

Since then, the ‘normal’ life of the church has continued: births, weddings, and, on Christmas Eve, the death of a former member at 100 years old. (The date of the funeral is not known as I write, but I’ll keep you posted.) As we look back on 2010, we reflect anew on the faithfulness of God.

We look ahead to the New Year with confidence: not in our own abilities, not in our own talents, but with confidence in God’s continued faithfulness.

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ ” (Lam 3:22-24)

Whatever we may face in 2011, may we do so with our heads held high because of the love and faithfulness of God on whom we rely.

The final sermon of 2010 at GPCC was preached by Dave from John 1:1-14 (for those of you with good memories, I’m fairly certain that the first sermon of 2010 was also preached by Dave, but more of that anon!), looking back at Christmas and lingering over what the coming of Christ into the world means to us.

The game ‘Chinese Whispers’ shows how easily it is for messages to get distorted: during the war, the message ‘send reinforcemets; we are going to advance’ apparently ended up as ‘send 3 and 4 pence; we are going to a dance.’ Perhaps because God’s message to mankind had got distorted over time, definitely because there was no other way in God’s eyes to bring about the salvation of the world, ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’

Jesus was, in the words of the carol, ‘very God, begotten, not created’, but He was also fully man. The Incarnation not only means we understand God better because He has revealed Himself, but it also means that we realise God understands us as well because He became one of us.

(1) Jesus felt what we feel.
Hebrews 5:7-8 tells us that Jesus learned obedience from what He suffered. He learned things the hard way – He knows what it is to be hungry and tired, lonely and rejected, unappreciated, misunderstood, beaten and ridiculed; He knows what it is like to face death and to stand at the graveside of a friend. He understands the everyday occurrences of life and what it is like to face the big things of life.

(2)He knows where we are going
Our Lord has lived the life we have lived. But He has also faced what we have not: He actually died so He knows what is on the other side of the grave. Because Jesus died, He faced the wrath of God on our behalf and endured the punishment we deserve, so that our deaths will yield life, not wrath.

(3) Jesus knows what we are really like and still loves us
Jesus ‘knew what was in a man.’ He understood our duplicity and there is no way we can hide from God what we are really like. That frees us enormously: there is no point in pretending or hiding, but we can be honest with God, for He loves the real us.

(4) Jesus knows what we need and provides it
* to the one who is lonely, He gives His presence
* to the one who has experienced moral failure, He gives His forgiveness
* to the one encountering depression, He seeks to give perspective and joy
* to the one who feels separated from God or others, He leads us to reconciliation
* to the one enduring great sorrow, He gives hope
* to the one facing major decisions, He gives wisdom
* to the one needing resources, He provides for their needs

(5) Jesus knows the temptations we meet and how to defeat them
No temptation will ever come upon us except what is common to man and God is faithful, providing a way out (1 Cor 10:13). God always provides a way out of temptation. Jesus will show us that way out.

(6) Jesus has faced our greatest fear and gained victory over it
Death is no longer the great ‘unknown’ to the believer. Death is a transition. It has lost its sting because the element of surprise and fear is gone.

Christ’s coming into the world shows us that God has experienced what we experience, without the taint of sin, and that He can speak the truth to us in a language and in a form we can understand. Nonetheless, John 1 reminds us that ‘He came unto His own… and His own did not receive Him’. It’s not a foregone conclusion that His coming makes any difference at all to people. The difference comes when we believe: “to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

As we view Christmas in the rear-view mirror, so to speak, and as the gifts we’ve received wear out, lose their value or diminish in their attraction, may we cherish the gift that only gets better each day of every year.

Postscript
I checked with Dave about his first sermon of the year… That was from John 20:19-31, looking at the difference the power of the Holy Spirit made to the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus. He ended the sermon with the words, “Whether we actually get St Mark’s or whether we don’t is entirely up to God, and, in the fullness of time, He will complete His plans for us. Whatever the outcome, we will give thanks to Him. And in this year of 2010 we will continue to serve God, not only with our programmes and plans, but most importantly with and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Because it is all of Him and all for Him and all through Him.”

Hindsight is such a wonderful thing, but I am more grateful for the faith with which Dave preached that opening sermon of the year. I am so thankful that we can see how God has worked all things together for good this year in the life of the church and that we have a Saviour who knows what we go through, can provide for all our needs and who gives us the Holy Spirit to equip us for all we have to face.

“Don’t be afraid!” was the first thing the angels said in their messages announcing the good news about Christ’s birth. Mary was told, “Don’t be afraid; you have found favour with God.” (Luke 1:30) Joseph was told “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” (Matt 1:20) The shepherds were told “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

Fear is something we all have to deal with at some point in our lives. Many languages talk about ‘having fear’; in English now we talk about ‘being afraid’. Whether we think of fear as something we (hopefully temporarily) possess or are conscious of it being a more insidious state that pervades our thinking on an almost constant basis, God has much to say about fear.

Moses encouraged the Israelites as they were about to go into the Promised Land not to fear: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut 31:6) He encouraged Joshua with the words “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deut 31:8) Time and time again, as God’s people face difficult situations, whether personally or nationally, God reminds them that He is with them and that one fact is enough to turn the situation around. God is our helper. We need not be afraid.

In Ps 55, we read what we need to do with our fears and worries: “Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.” (Ps 55:22, The Message). May the knowledge that God is with us – Emmanuel – transform our thinking and help us to face the New Year without fear, but with hope and trust.

Christians are sometimes accused of being out of touch with reality. “You’re so heavenly-minded you’re no earthly good” is one criticism that is sometimes heard. “Christianity is just a crutch. You don’t know what it’s like to live in the real world. It’s all pie in the sky.”

Quite how people get this view of Christianity astounds me. At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world. He came as a real baby to a real world. He didn’t come with pomp and majesty, but to a cold, dirty, smelly stable. He lived on earth amongst real people as a real man. He died a painful, cruel death. Jesus is not some sugar-coated sentimental hero. He is real.

Our faith is rooted in historical fact. We proclaim, as others have done before us, that “we believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”

This week on Radio 4 there was a programme about Pentecostalism presented by Philip Dodd. I was interested in this for a number of reasons, not least because part of the programme was recorded at Grimethorpe Pentecostal Church, not a million miles from us, and Pastor Joy Gascoigne, a friend of mine, featured in it. But as I listened, one thing struck me. Despite all the talk about ‘experience’ and ‘speaking in tongues’, the presenter couldn’t deny the fact that these people were living in the real world, were engaged in the real world and were working hard to relieve suffering and poverty in the real world.

I believe that is how it should be, for we serve a God who engaged with the real world and as we celebrate that fact at Christmas, may we be like Him: spiritually in tune with the Father and serving those around us with humility, love and faithfulness.

You can hear the programme here:
bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wqcnd

Just to let you know what will be happening over the next few days…

There will be just the morning service on Boxing Day, Sunday 26th December, at the usual time of 10:30 a.m. There will be no evening service that day.

There will be no midweek meetings next week, but the usual New Year’s Day party will be held on 1st January 2011 at 4:30 p.m. Please bring food and drink to that party!

Mark started his sermon at the carol service with a series of ‘Knock, knock’ jokes before going on to talk about the knock on the doors of the inns in Bethlehem which ultimately led to one innkeeper offering Mary and Joseph the shelter of a smelly stable. If the innkeepers had known who was going to be born that night, they might have responded differently to the knocks on their door, but Jesus was born into obscurity, born in a stable, placed in a feeding trough – an unexpected place for the Light of the World to make His entry into our world.

Jesus continues to knock on doors today, but these are the doors of our hearts. Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” As the Holman Hunt painting ‘Light of the World’ clearly illustrates, there is no door handle on the outside. It’s up to us to respond to Jesus knocking; only we can open the door to allow Him access into our lives.

Jesus wants us to let Him in on a regular basis. He’s not just for Christmas. He is our best friend who will never leave us or forsake us, but our response is needed to His knocking.