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Introduction / Welcome
As we light our third Advent candle, which represents JOY, can I just tell you something about joy, briefly?
We can think that joy is being with your fiancé or with your spouse, or it’s what you experience when your children are born or when they take their first steps, but those are “feelings of joy” as opposed to joy itself, and sadly, if we’re honest, such feelings can fade, even change, over time.
Real joy is a fruit of God’s Spirit, the fruit of a personal relationship with Jesus. It is comfort, contentment, inner peace despite the circumstances, and a natural part of the Christian faith and experience.
And that Jesus is who this carol service is all about.
This morning we’re going to sing songs that many of us have sung since our childhood, and we going to hear iconic Bible readings. As these words remind you of your past, as they surely will, please also take the time to think about what they might mean for your future.
Everything in our service is pretty much self-evident in your service booklet, except it doesn’t say that 100% of our offering today will go straight to a charity called Open Doors for its work supporting Christians in the Sub-Saharan Africa, who are being made homeless and being persecuted for their faith. Please give generously.
Message
“A thought for Christmas.”
We all enjoy Christmas because it makes us feel cosy and secure – there are Christmas wreaths, lights, candles, trees, cards, mince pies, carols being played on loud speakers in the shops, memories of Christmases past when we were young, and then when our children were young, you know what I’m talking about.
But those trappings, which are supposed to witness to the truth of Christmas, often end up hiding it.
So what IS the truth of Christmas?
What is truth, even?
That’s a HUGE question today when there are so many lies, so much fake news, so many vested interests. A lot of the time it’s difficult to know just WHAT to believe.
Where on earth can we find truth today? Truth that we KNOW is truth?
Our fifth lesson, that Tess is going to read to us presently, is a passage written by one of Jesus’ closest friends, a man called John. He was one of the 4 gospel writers but his gospel is a little different from the other 3 because he was more concerned with the reasons for Jesus’ time on earth, than he was about simply writing an historical account.
John lived alongside Jesus for three years, so he knew him well. He spent time with him, he walked with him for miles and miles, he ate with him, and he talked with him, endlessly I imagine. Wouldn’t you?
This reading that we’re going to hear is also printed on the last page of your service sheet. You can take it home with you if you’d like to.
The last verse says “The Word” and he’s referring to Jesus, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“… full of grace and truth.” Truth!
Three verses further on John underlines what he was saying “For the law was given through Moses;” that’s the 10 commandments, “but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
That’s where we find truth, truth that we know is truth. Truth we can trust. In Jesus Christ. That’s my “Thought for Christmas” this year. “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
But there’s something else. Notice too what comes with this truth. Grace.
What’s grace? In Greek, the term means a “gift freely given”, regardless of whether we deserve it or not.
It’s what Jesus came to bring US, that’s YOU and ME, regardless of whether we deserve it or not, which actually none of us do, his forgiveness, his friendship, hope, peace, joy, love, truth, and the free gift of an eternity spent with him.
What more could we possibly ask for?
And that’s why Christmas is has been celebrated for over 2000 years, and why it is celebrated today by over 2 billion people, Christians and non-Christians alike.
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