28th December 2025

Message 28/12/25 – Martin Mowat

Readings: Psalm 110 and Isaiah 9:2-7

I hope that you had a great Christmas, whether you were on your own, with family, or with friends.  So how do you feel now it’s all over? 

Stuffed? Anticlimactic, somewhat disappointed even? Tired? Bored? Apprehensive, worried, even fearful about what the future holds?   Excited, maybe? Or perhaps all of the above in some measure?

Do you know, I often wonder why it is that non-Christians get so enthusiastic about Christmas. Their getting excited about the New Year might make more sense to me. 

The New Year is generally a moment of looking forward and of hope. Hope that there will be less suffering, better politics, better weather, new horizons, new friends, happier times generally.

From a church perspective the new year actually starts a week earlier, on Christmas Day.  Jesus has arrived, he is here, everything’s going to be all right, the prophets said so.  People like Isaiah, as we’ve just heard.

And Jesus gave us all a job to do, to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything he has commanded us. And surely, he promised, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

To do that he gave us spiritual gifts:- love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control according to Galatians 6, as well as wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. And he gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, Ephesians 4.

And he gave us what Paul calls “the family of believers”. 

So going back to my list of feelings, I’m excited, and perhaps, and perhaps, if I’m honest, a little daunted because there’s a lot to do.

Why, because we have a busy few months ahead of us. Let me tell you what’s in store.

For the 17 years of its existence, this church has been both independent and non-denominational, attended by people of all sorts of different Christian backgrounds, and welcoming visitors of all denominations, or none, and of all nationalities, offering them an opportunity to find family and friendship, as they enjoy getting to know God, his love and his peace. 

Today, being independent as a church isn’t clever from any point of view, particularly in France. We need to protect people from abuse, we need to be up to speed with the ever-changing legal framework, pastors need support and guidance themselves, the church needs to belong to a family of churches, too.

So the COG decided to look for an organisation to which we could belong, that would provide us with those things while allowing us to retain our autonomy and our non-denominational stance. After a lot of discussion, we narrowed the choice down to one, or maybe two. 

So, in two weeks’ time we’ll be welcoming Olivier Lo, the President of the French ‘Christian and Missionary Alliance’, a group of 24,000 protestant evangelical churches worldwide, of which there are 44 here in France.  It’s called the AECMF (Alliance des Églises Chrétiennes et Missionaries de France), although people often just say AECM.  They, in turn, belong to the Evangelical Federation of France (FEF), with some 485 churches. 

Olivier’s going to preach and then, as we grab a quick cup of coffee and move through into the room behind, he’s going to tell us what the AECMF is all about, and give us an opportunity to ask any questions we may have. I know that there will be a few. That’s good, this is a big step forward for us. 

The following Sunday, on 18th, there will be an EGM at which the members will be asked to decide whether or not we wish to make an application to join that group of churches.  If you’re a member you will soon be getting an official notification about that. 

On May 2nd, at their AGM, they will hopefully accept our application and then there will be 2 years of probationary membership, in some ways a bit like being engaged, when we will get to know each other better.

Sunday sermon wise, I’m then going to try to complete my Abraham series before Lent starts on February 18th.  During Lent we’ll almost certainly be following a course with 24/7 Prayer and Lectio 365 which will involve both Sunday messages and the midweek Bible study meetings, taking us through to Easter Day, on April 5th.

Then we’re planning a 10-week discipleship programme which will also involve both Sunday messages and the midweek Bible study meetings.

By the time we’re finished all that, it’ll be nearly the end of June.

Exciting times, and everybody will be involved in one way or another!

But what’s perhaps less exciting as we leave the joyous festivities of Christmas and the horrors of 2025 behind us, and as we head off into a new year, is the horrors that 2026 might hold in store. How should we, as followers of Jesus, face up to what’s going on out there? 

By remembering 4 things.

First – nothing takes God by surprise. 

Second – as we heard in our first reading, a reading that we also heard at our Carol Service 2 weeks ago, verses we have all heard countless times,

Jesus will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on, from that first Christmas, and forever. That includes 2026. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this it promises.

Third. Jesus is in command.  He is the King of kings, not anyone else.  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” he said in that passage in Matthew 28 that I quoted earlier. I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

We also heard Isaiah’s prophecy about it.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

There are lots of similar prophecies. Haggai’s for example “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In a little while, I will once more shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple (he means the church) with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

David said in Psalm 86, All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.

And lastly, Jesus is coming back.