25th December 2025

Christmas Day Message 2025.   Martin Mowat

Christmas Day marks the conclusion of Advent, a time of waiting and expectation for our chance to celebrate THE most incredible thing that had ever happened before, or has ever happened since. The God of the universe as a baby, lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Let’s think about that for a few minutes.  Bethlehem was only tiny. Estimates of its population at the time of Jesus birth vary from 300 to 3,000.  Small by anybody’s standards.  Even today it only has a population of about 30,000.

As we heard, Ceasar Augustus had suddenly decided that he wanted a census of the entire Roman empire. It may have been something to do with military conscription; it may have been something to do with taxation. 

Either way, Quirinius, the Roman governor of Syria and Judea at the time, had deemed that the easiest way to do it was to send everyone to their tribal towns to be counted. For Joseph and Mary that was Bethlehem because it had been the birthplace of King David.  Can you imagine the disruption to normal life with the entire population having to up-sticks like that, and in little Bethlehem the mayhem when literally tens of thousands of Judah-ites descended on it. 

There were no Holiday Inns, no MacDonalds, no convenient water fountains, no public loos, nothing.

“No room for them in the inn” was a gros understatement.  They were lucky to get space in the stable, if we’re honest. 

Mary was perhaps only 14 when she was pregnant.  We don’t know how old Joseph was, perhaps in his 20s, although paintings usually depict him as middle aged or older.  We’ll see why in a few minutes.  

Both had had angels visit them and reassure them. Matthew has just given us a glimpse into Mary’s heart and mind. “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”, she had said to her elder cousin Elizabeth only a few months earlier. 

What an attitude !

But the timing of the census couldn’t have been worse for them, and it seems that they were totally unprepared. Nazareth to Bethlehem on foot, when you’re 8 ½ months pregnant, takes the best part of a week.  She must have arrived completely exhausted, which would only have served to compound their problems, the greatest of which was that by the time they got there, and found shelter, Mary was having contractions.

No doctors and nurses. No E.R. No friendly pharmacy around the corner.  Perhaps there was a village midwife, who knows, the Bible is silent about the details.

One thing we are told, though, is that when he was born they wrapped their poor newborn in ‘swaddling clothes’, perhaps all they could lay their hands on to keep him warm on chilly nights. They would probably have found them in a cupboard in the stable because ‘swaddling clothes’ are what they used to wrap lambs in, to protect them from blemish, so that they could be used for sacrifices. 

She gave birth to her firstborn, Luke tells us, a son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

It’s the King James that uses the term “swaddling clothes” – the NIV just says cloths. Some versions say strips of cloth, the Message version says that she wrapped him “in a blanket”.  How cute! Was it pale blue I woinder? Just joking!

But the point is this , there he was, the little might, wrapped in swaddling clothes as a physical prophecy that he would be the ultimate sacrifice, blemish free, sinless, to bring salvation to us sinners.

The shepherds may have understood the significance, but what on earth, I wonder, did the Magi think when they saw that scene? 

But can I finish by saying how much we owe that young couple.  What a dramatic way that was to start a family.  They went on to have four more boys, James, Joses, Simon and Jude, as well as two daughters whose names may have been Salome and Mary.  Catholic tradition has it that these were Joseph’s children from a previous marriage, and that Mary remained a virgin, but that’s a whole different subject that I am really not qualified to comment on.

Many years later, when Jesus was being challenged about who he really was, said, among other things, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

That’s the significance of our 5th Advent candle, and what we’re here to celebrate today.