Stephen’s sermon on Sunday morning looked at the manger, and how even the place where Jesus was placed at his birth was symbolic of the rejection He would face during His life. Casting Crowns develop this theme in their song ‘While You Were Sleeping’, which looks at Bethlehem, Jerusalem and modern America and how we are so often oblivious to what God is doing. There is a need for us to wake up and live in the light (1  Thess 5:1-11).

‘Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night.
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you’re lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light,
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight.

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping,
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today.
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping,
While you were sleeping.

Oh little town of Jerusalem,
Looks like another silent night.
The Father gave His only Son,
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come,
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save.

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Saviour of the world is dying on your cross today.
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping,
While you were sleeping.

United States of America,
Looks like another silent night
As we’re sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we’re lying in the dark
There’s a shout heard ‘cross the eastern sky,
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night.

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King?
Will we be sleeping?
Will we be sleeping?

United States of America
Looks like another silent night.’ (‘While You Were Sleeping’, Casting Crowns)

Every Monday night of term-time, volunteers from GPCC run a youth club which involves games and craft activities for 5-11 year olds. Over the past few weeks, the craft activities have focussed on Christmas and are now displayed on one of the notice boards at church:

Our thanks to all who help supervise the club which re-starts on Monday 4th January.

Read Psalm 119:161-168.

Shepherds were minding their own business, tending sheep, when angels appeared to them, bringing the message of a Saviour’s birth which would forever change their lives. This ‘good news of great joy’ was for all the world (Luke 2:10), a message to banish fear and bring ‘peace to men on whom His favour rests.’ (Luke 2:14) The shepherds would not probably have described themselves in those terms, but as far as God is concerned, He wants all people to be saved. (2 Pet 3:9)

God’s Word reveals to us that we are all highly favoured, that this good news applies to the ‘whosoever’ will believe. The old hymn says ‘whosoever surely meaneth me’ (J. Edwin McConnell) and the psalmist experienced similar joy: ‘I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil.’ (Ps 119:162) We are like those who strike it rich (lottery winners?) when we realise God’s promises apply also to us!

This does not mean a trouble-free life: ‘rulers persecute me without cause.’ (Ps 119:161) However, it does bring a peace that passes understanding (Ps 119:165, see also Phil 4:6-7), a sense of wellbeing that isn’t dependent on external circumstances.

The psalmist’s whole life is focussed on God (‘seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous laws’ Ps 119:164) and obedience is a key part of that (Ps 119:167-168). Just as Mary learned to treasure in her heart all that happened to her (Luke 2:51), we have to learn the secret of waiting expectantly for God’s salvation and doing what He tells us in the meantime. (Ps 119:166, The Message)

At the start of the service, we had a reading from Is 9:1-7 and then heard a song ‘Unto Us’ based on that Scripture. Children were also involved in colouring pictures based on that Scripture:

We also were given ‘goody bags’ containing leaflets giving us messages of hope and peace from God’s Word as well as sweets. God’s Word gives us hope for the future and we were encouraged to use these resources to ‘pass on’ life-giving words to friends, family and neighbours over this Christmas period.

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

One of the newer carols we sang at the carol service tonight is called ‘God Has Come To Earth‘ by Aaron Shust. In that song, we sing of how Jesus came ‘clothed in a garb of flesh and blood,‘ how He clothed Himself with frail humanity even though ‘worlds on worlds are Yours alone.’ One of the activities in the service involved ‘clothing’ willing volunteers to make them snowmen!

Two teams competed to ‘dress’ their team member to make the most effective snowman:

There was chance for a second round, though Stephen ended up being a snowman twice!

Well done to both teams, though none looked quite like Olaf!

Mark spoke tonight at the carol service about the reason God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Reading from Matt 1:18-2:8 and Luke 2:8-15, he talked about how the birth of Jesus was announced to both shepherds (working-class, ordinary Joes) and wise men (rich men – judging from their gifts – who were obviously intellectual and academic). God chose different ways to speak (using hosts of angels to announce the good news to the shepherds and a star which guided the magi to their goal), but took the initiative in wanting all people to know that He was ‘Immanuel – God with us.’

In the ‘Star Wars’ series of films, one of the most iconic moments comes when Darth Vader reveals himself as the father of Luke Skywalker in a famous scene where he says ‘I am your father.’ Some people practised saying those words in the style of Darth Vader:

In essence, ‘I am your father’ was the message Jesus came to bring to all people: He came to show us not only that God was His father, but that He longs to be ours too. Jesus lived as a normal man, empowered and inspired by God, showing us that we can become part of God’s family (see John 1:12). God wanted to restore that family relationship with us, and Christmas, so often proclaimed to be a time ‘for the family’, was the means by which He chose to come to earth so that we could have the opportunity to know Him personally. Jesus grew to become a man who demonstrated His family likeness with God and who died to bridge the chasm between us and God caused by sin. Now we can be part of God’s family, knowing God as our father.