Christmas Day (Year C), 25 December 2024
Revd Rob Miners
I’m told that a good sermon has three main points. Well, this one must be really good because it’s got four. Now, don’t groan inwardly, it is a very short sermon.
As we come together today, I will focus our thoughts on four areas.
What does Christmas mean for our country?
What does Christmas mean for our world?
What does Christmas mean for you?
And what does Christmas mean for God?
Firstly, what does Christmas mean for our country? For many, it’s just a public holiday followed by another one, then another one. It’s a time when retailers rub their hands together with glee as credit cards run hot to melting point.
For police, ambos, rescue people, some clergy, doctors and nurses in emergency wards; they will work flat out. All the old reruns will be on the telly because there’s no ratings for the next six weeks. So any old garbage will do. Oh, and you will have time to check out Harry and Megan on Netflix. Or perhaps you bought their riveting book when it was first released in January 2023. Suicide and domestic violence statistics will be up as alcohol blurs discretion and the impact of loneliness is recognised. Roads and other forms of transport will be jammed as those residing in the cities need to be in the country and those in the country need to be in the city. Church services will be better attended than usual.
But how foolish, as we celebrate the peripherals of Christmas but ignore the heart of Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We as a country will go out of our way not to offend our brothers and sisters of other faith persuasions. Notice the dearth of Christmas carols as the years roll on. Observe that it’s now more politically correct to wish each other happy holiday rather than happy Christmas.
Sadly, Christmas for many won’t be so rosy with around 120,000 homeless every night with around 8,000 sleeping rough on the streets. And we allow this great Christian festival to be relegated to just a holiday akin to Labor Day or Australia Day. Today we are recognising and celebrating the beginning of God’s wonderful plan of salvation and redemption for the whole world.
Two, we look at our world. The world seemed a reasonably secure place. Yes, there have always been tensions and conflict, but security seems rather more threatened at present. We have millions of displaced people living in tent cities around the world because of open warfare, ethnic cleansing, clashes of religious ideologies and corrupt governments. The absolute horrors of Ukraine are served up daily on our TVs now closely followed by Israel, Gaza, Syria, and the list goes on. Why has mankind gone so awry? So far from the Son of God who came to us as the Prince of Peace.
Because our world is made up of people of many faiths, many see Christmas simply as a Christian tradition, celebration or festival. It’s nothing of any real significance. It’s just what Christians do on the 25th of December each year.
Three, what does Christmas mean to you? I don’t know, it depends on who the “you” is. If you’re a child, it will mean the wide-eyed wonder of presents and maybe seeing some relatives whose names you’ve forgotten and who you will see at the same time again next year.
By now you’ll have figured out who the Fred and Jill who sent you a Christmas card are but it’s too late to send a card now because the post office is closed for the next couple of days. Never mind, you’ll be able to ring them on Christmas, although if you’re not asleep sprawled out on the lounge because of that big dinner. If you’re an adult worker, it’s a hard-earned break from work.
If you’re a housewife, it probably means recuperating from battling at the shops, buying prezzies and then the queues at Woolies preparing to feed the hordes of rellies and friends who will grace your Christmas table. If you’re a working housewife, tick both of the above boxes. If you’re a person in a difficult relationship maybe pain and hurt as you see and compare the love and acceptance and joy which some families enjoy.
If alone maybe feelings of alienation, loneliness or even despair. Ray Martin got it right a couple of years back as he hosted Carols by Candlelight and said if Christmas means anything it means children. If Christmas means anything it means one child, the Christ child.
Fourthly and lastly, so what does Christmas mean to God? For God, Christmas became the culmination of a plan which he had had in train for thousands of years. For God, Christmas becomes an enormous sacrifice. God sacrificed his divine glory in taking on all the human limitations and all that that entailed for him.
God knew that in sending his son Jesus Christ into the world in the form of a human baby, that that child would grow into manhood to be rejected and then crucified on a cross between two common criminals. One of whom recognised who Jesus was just before he died. I suspect God sheds tears at Christmas when he looks at his world—the world into which he sent his son as the saviour, the Prince of Peace. And yet sees a total lack of peace. All caused by the hardness of heart in humankind.
Hear again the message the angels brought to the shepherds.
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”
So, take time out from your busy round of celebrations and worship the central figure of Christmas: Jesus Christ.