Sermon - Christmas Eve - Keeping the story alive

Christmas Eve

Every year the excitement builds to that special time of the year.

Children are fascinated by the presents starting to appear wondering what that gift with their name on it might be.

Some have been on secret hunts looking to see if they can find where their presents are hidden to get a sneak peek at what they’re getting for Christmas.

Christmas is a time of passing down traditions.

The chances are that you’re living out the traditions that your parents passed on to you and in a generation or 2 your children and grand children will be living out and passing on the same traditions.

Some gather Christmas Eve to give out presents.

Others wait till Christmas morning and let the children wake up and come into a gift filled lounge room.

Some will insist on going to church first and when they arrive home the gifts have magically arrived.

Likewise in churches traditions continue with Sunday School children dressing up as Shepherds, angels, wise men and other players in the nativity.

And it’s those traditions that keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well in our families and churches.

And we need to do that as the world around us continues to try and break down our traditions by removing carols and Christmas greetings from the public sphere.

Every year it gets harder to fit everything in to those 365 days – 366 if we’re lucky.

But let us make sure that we never fail to pass on to future generations what has been passed onto us so faithfully.

The Christmas tradition of story telling again the birth of Jesus Christ.

TV will have a variety of other stories to tell.

As a youngster I grew up with them – Miracle on 34th Street where people believed we were celebrating the birth of Santa rather than Jesus Christ.

Or celebrities showing of their singing skills on Carols by Candlelight which is more about focusing on themselves and their talents singing songs which barely mentioned the birth of Jesus.

And so we owe it to our children and future generations to ensure that these traditions continue because we are going to face more and more pressures to change the way we celebrate Christmas.

Whether it’s saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas

Or whether it’s celebrating Santa rather than the birth of Christ.

Or singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or Santa Clause is coming to town instead of the deeply theological carols like Silent Night or O Come all Ye Faithful.

We owe it to ourselves – we owe it to our children and future generations.

We owe it to God to ensure that the story is told again and again.

It is such a simple story to pass on – God ensured that.

When he sent the angels to the shepherds he made it simple:

The angels appeared to the shepherds and said: Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

How simple- a Saviour – the promised messiah – and this will be the sign – you’ll find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Let us keep that message alive.

Let us keep that message simple.

Let us keep telling the story year in and year out.

It doesn’t get old, or stale or boring.

It is the birth of God’s Son.

It is the birth of our Saviour.

It is the birth of all our hopes and dreams that God loves us.

May God bless you again this year as you keep the story alive.