Today we celebrate the ‘central event in the history of the earth, the very thing the whole story has been about’ (C.S. Lewis). We celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is a day of great joy and celebration around the world.

And yet, in the midst of all the trappings and celebrations of Christmas, it can be easy to miss why Jesus’ birth is so significant. The key to Christmas lies, not in the details of the shepherds’ visit or the wise men’s journey, but in the identity of the one whom they came to worship. In Jesus, God became ‘flesh’ and ‘made his dwelling among us’ (John 1:14). Christmas is about Jesus!

Our New Testament passage for today helps us to grasp something of the magnitude of what that means. In it we are reminded that ‘baby Jesus’ is also the ‘Lord of lords and King of kings’ (Revelation 17:14b). We are given a glimpse of the cosmic struggle between good and evil, as a vast array of powers and authorities line up against God. Yet we are reminded that, in the end, it is through the humility and self-sacrifice of ‘the Lamb’ that they are overcome.

Jesus puts aside the glories of heaven for a humble stall. As the carol, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, puts it:

    Christ, by highest heaven adored;

    Christ, the everlasting Lord;

    late in time behold him come,

    offspring of a virgin's womb.

    Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

    hail the incarnate Deity,

    pleased as man with man to dwell,

    Jesus, our Emmanuel.

    Hark! The herald angels sing,

    ‘Glory to the new born King!’

In each of today’s passages we see the blessings of following this ‘new born King’.

In A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, the central character, Ebenezer Scrooge, was a miserable, mean, miserly old businessman who is shown his past, present and future. He eventually repents and starts to give generously.

Dickens captures the transformation in his character: ‘He went to church, and walked about the streets… and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk – that any thing – could give him so much happiness.’

‘Repentance’ is a very positive word in the Bible. The Greek word ‘metanoia’ means ‘change of mind’. That means, first, turning away from the bad stuff. This is the stuff that spoils your life and breaks your relationship with God. Repentance means to be sorry enough to quit. Getting rid of the bad stuff only enhances your life. But, that is only the first part.

The change of heart and mind means not only turning away from the bad things, but also turning towards God and good. The word ‘repent’ rarely appears on its own in the Bible. Genuine repentance is shown by its fruit. Remorse is not enough. A change of mind, heart and life is required. It is nearly always, ‘repent and…’. Repent and believe. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ. It is not just a case of looking back, but also looking up. Faith looks up.

['In A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, the central character, Ebenezer Scrooge, was a miserable, mean, miserly old businessman who is shown his past, present and future. He eventually repents and starts to give generously.\nDickens captures the transformation in his character: ‘He went to church, and walked about the streets… and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk – that any thing – could give him so much happiness.’\n‘Repentance’ is a very positive word in the Bible. The Greek word ‘metanoia’ means ‘change of mind’. That means, first, turning away from the bad stuff. This is the stuff that spoils your life and breaks your relationship with God. Repentance means to be sorry enough to quit. Getting rid of the bad stuff only enhances your life. But, that is only the first part.\nThe change of heart and mind means not only turning away from the bad things, but also turning towards God and good. The word ‘repent’ rarely appears on its own in the Bible. Genuine repentance is shown by its fruit. Remorse is not enough. A change of mind, heart and life is required. It is nearly always, ‘repent and…’. Repent and believe. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ. It is not just a case of looking back, but also looking up. Faith looks up.', None]

["In July 1999, Ralph Crathorne spoke at our church about the recent death of his eight-year-old daughter, Sasha, from a brain tumour.\nI remember so well going to visit Sasha in hospital. On the way, in the taxi, I was desperately trying to think and pray about what God would want me to say. Only one word came into my mind: hope.\nIn his talk Ralph said, ‘That one word exploded in my spirit. It was as though I suddenly saw the fullness of what God has meant us to understand about “living in hope”. It’s not the kind of wishy-washy, “I hope this will happen, but it probably won’t happen.” It’s the sure, confident, positive hope – the way God designed us to live.\n‘Our hope was placed not in an outcome but in the Lord.\n‘Sasha, too, held onto hope – not necessarily to be healed, although that was included, but a deeper hope, the hope that comes from the certainty of being in the palm of the hand of an all-loving God.’\nIn the final two weeks of her life, she went blind. Ralph said, ‘I remember lying in the bed saying to her, “Sasha do you ever see angels?”\n‘She didn’t have much energy to speak. She said, “No dad.”\n‘I was a bit disappointed. So, I thought, we’ll go for the big one. “Do you ever see Jesus?” I asked.\n‘“Of course, I do. He holds my hand.”\n‘The dream that she would be healed was shattered, but we’re not disappointed with God. He hasn’t changed. He still pours his love into our hearts. We don’t understand her death. I doubt we really ever will. One day we’ll know… These are the foundational principles of living in hope.'", None]

In July 1999, Ralph Craythorne spoke at our church about the recent death of his eight-year-old daughter, Sasha, from a brain tumour.

I remember so well going to visit Sasha in hospital. On the way, in the taxi, I was desperately trying to think and pray about what God would want me to say. Only one word came into my mind: hope.

In his talk Ralph said, ‘That one word exploded in my spirit. It was as though I suddenly saw the fullness of what God has meant us to understand about “living in hope”. It’s not the kind of wishy-washy, “I hope this will happen, but it probably won’t happen.” It’s the sure, confident, positive hope – the way God designed us to live.

‘Our hope was placed not in an outcome but in the Lord.

‘Sasha, too, held onto hope – not necessarily to be healed, although that was included, but a deeper hope, the hope that comes from the certainty of being in the palm of the hand of an all-loving God.’

In the final two weeks of her life, she went blind. Ralph said, ‘I remember lying in the bed saying to her, “Sasha do you ever see angels?”

‘She didn’t have much energy to speak. She said, “No dad.”

‘I was a bit disappointed. So, I thought, we’ll go for the big one. “Do you ever see Jesus?” I asked.

‘“Of course, I do. He holds my hand.”

‘The dream that she would be healed was shattered, but we’re not disappointed with God. He hasn’t changed. He still pours his love into our hearts. We don’t understand her death. I doubt we really ever will. One day we’ll know… These are the foundational principles of living in hope.'

['Christmas at HTB is usually one of the biggest events in our church calendar. At our Christmas services, I sit right by our orchestra and choir. There are usually around fifty musicians in the orchestra and ninety in the choir – all members of the congregation volunteering their time and gifts. I’m not at all musical. In fact, I’m virtually tone deaf. However, I am always stunned by the beauty of the marvellous music and singing. It is a foretaste of heaven.\nThe apostle John writes, ‘And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne’ (Revelation 14:2–3). The heavenly orchestra and choir will sing a new song before a heavenly audience.\nJohn goes on to describe the completed church in heaven – their purity and their power. The two are connected. As Pastor Rick Warren has tweeted, ‘In ministry, private purity is the source of public power.’', None]

Christmas at HTB is usually one of the biggest events in the church calendar. There are usually around fifty musicians in the orchestra and ninety in the choir – all members of the congregation volunteering their time and gifts. I’m not at all musical. In fact, I’m virtually tone deaf. However, I am always stunned by the beauty of the marvellous music and singing. It is a foretaste of heaven.

The apostle John writes, ‘And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne’ (Revelation 14:2–3). The heavenly orchestra and choir will sing a new song before a heavenly audience.

John goes on to describe the completed church in heaven – their purity and their power. The two are connected. As Pastor Rick Warren has tweeted, ‘In ministry, private purity is the source of public power.’

['Hands are very important. On her wedding day, I took hold of our daughter’s hand and passed it over to the minister (who happened to be our son). His hand (for these purposes) represented God’s hand. He, in turn, joined her hand to that of her husband. Symbolically, I gave her to God and God gave her to her husband. A key part of the marriage ceremony is the joining of hands.\nAt one level, your hand is simply your palm, fingers and thumb. But when we use the word ‘hand’ we often mean it in more than just a physical sense. The ‘hand’ can be used as a metaphor for action, care and possession.\nGod uses hands. We read of Jesus healing through laying his hands on sick people, or even just touching them with his hands (for example, Mark 6:5; 8:23). At other times, he put his hands on people to bless them (10:16). He told his disciples that their hands would be used to heal the sick (16:18). Indeed, people were healed through the laying on of their hands (for example, Acts 8:17–18). Others were filled with the Holy Spirit (9:17; 19:6), or received gifts through the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6).\nWhat about ‘the hand of God’? What does that mean? In the Bible, ‘the hand of God’ means something very profound. Ezra said, ‘Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage…’ (Ezra 7:28). God’s invisible and intangible hand is also on you: leading, guiding, encouraging, protecting, strengthening you and giving you courage.', None]

Hands are very important. On her wedding day, I took hold of our daughter’s hand and passed it over to the minister (who happened to be our son). His hand (for these purposes) represented God’s hand. He, in turn, joined her hand to that of her husband. Symbolically, I gave her to God and God gave her to her husband. A key part of the marriage ceremony is the joining of hands.

At one level, your hand is simply your palm, fingers and thumb. But when we use the word ‘hand’ we often mean it in more than just a physical sense. The ‘hand’ can be used as a metaphor for action, care and possession.

God uses hands. We read of Jesus healing through laying his hands on sick people, or even just touching them with his hands (for example, Mark 6:5; 8:23). At other times, he put his hands on people to bless them (10:16). He told his disciples that their hands would be used to heal the sick (16:18). Indeed, people were healed through the laying on of their hands (for example, Acts 8:17–18). Others were filled with the Holy Spirit (9:17; 19:6), or received gifts through the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6).

What about ‘the hand of God’? What does that mean? In the Bible, ‘the hand of God’ means something very profound. Ezra said, ‘Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage…’ (Ezra 7:28). God’s invisible and intangible hand is also on you: leading, guiding, encouraging, protecting, strengthening you and giving you courage.

['In the last speech he ever made, on 31 March 1968, Martin Luther King repeated the phrase ‘we shall overcome’ over and over again. He was echoing the words of folksinger Joan Baez, who in 1963 led a crowd of 300,000 people in singing ‘We shall overcome’. The song speaks of overcoming and of discovering hope and a future amid adversity.\nThroughout this year, as we have studied the entire Bible, we have seen that we should not expect an easy life. The Bible is true to real life. Life involves many struggles, trials, tests, temptations, difficulties and battles. Yet, in Christ you can be an overcomer.', None]