The Wykehamist
The Wykehamist’ s Sermon
Christmas is nearly upon us. And, of course, it wouldn’ t be Christmas without the familiar name that begins with J and ends with S. That’ s right, you guessed it … John Lewis.
I was in there recently, and it was absolutely heaving with Christmas shoppers, and it was all I could do to keep going. Christmas shopping: never back down, never what? Never give up …
It’ s a stressful time of year, but a great one. House Christmas dinners are approaching, Michael Bublé is playing is on repeat, and children everywhere getting down to writing their Christmas lists. There’ s the story about a small boy who was writing a letter to God about the Christmas presents he badly wanted.
“ I’ ve been good for six months now,” he wrote. But after a moment’ s reflection he crossed out“ six months” and wrote“ three months”. After a pause that was crossed out and he put“ two weeks”. There was another pause and that was crossed out too. He got up from the table and went over to the nativity scene that had the figures of Mary and Joseph. He picked up the figure of Mary, wrapped it gently in a cloth, and put it in a drawer in his room. He then went back to his writing and started again:“ Dear God, if ever you want to see your mother again … listen up!”
Our Bible readings this morning are like God’ s letter to mankind. But far from being like the little boy demanding stuff and holding us to ransom, they tell of the greatest love story the world has ever known. At first glance, the nativity scene doesn’ t look much like the start of a classic love story; a teenage mother lies exhausted in the blood and mess of birth in a stinking cow shed, and her somewhat bewildered fiancé looks at a child that is not biologically his. It’ s a scandal, not a sonnet. This teenaged Jew is told that she’ s pregnant and she’ s betrothed to a man who she’ s not slept with, and all this whilst under Roman occupation. But it’ s this backdrop that provides the setting for the greatest love story the world has ever known.
“ The Word is made flesh”— that is, the God who was there in the beginning and spoke life into being— however that may have happened— came into the world. He left behind his angels, and all his power, might and authority. He laid aside his crown and left the throne room of heaven to take on flesh that first Christmas … a weak and vulnerable new-born baby.
As an old carol puts it:“ Loe there in the manger lies, he who built the starry skies”.
Creator to crib. Deity takes on humanity.
Why? In order to bridge the immeasurable gulf between heaven and earth for each one of us. It’ s because of love that he discards his dignity and descends into the darkness of our disordered world. This prince of Heaven becomes a son of Adam; so that we, the descendants of Adam might be called children of God. He makes himself as nothing to offer us everything.
52