O Holy Night

It is Christmas morning. And surprisingly for a London street it is quiet. Birdsong and rain is the only sound punctuating the sound of my typing. After a manic twenty four hours that included trips to three supermarkets and a mission to the market for goat, smoked fish and plantain. Followed by a late night dash to a friend’s house to pick up Mariah Carey’s Christmas album (ESSENTIAL to proceedings, what would we do without the gospel tinged carols and of course the party perennial All I Want For Christmas blasting from the speakers?!),  and a magical midnight mass service at HTB, one can finally pause and reflect, the incredible night at the centre of all the activity. A baby is born, in an obscure corner of the world with an eternal destiny like no other.

Aside from Mary and Joseph who had had angelic visitations, there was no one else on that night recorded as expecting something extraordinary to happen. For the shepherds, who arrived later,  it was just another night on the job, until of course a company of angels rocked up to tell them what was happening and they hurried to the stable to worship Jesus. Such an anonymous birth, with so few knowing what was happening would seem impossible now. It would be a case of  #messiahborn or ‘followers’ gathered in front of their ipads around the world to experience a live feed of the events.

As most of us gather to have a Christmas Day gathered amongst loved ones it would be a good time to pause and consider that God, who is love made manifest, came to us. He came to us as a baby and went on to experience living in the world, fully human, and yet still fully God. This was no celestial dare, or a curious ‘let’s see how the other half live’ social experiment. This was so that a pivotal prophecy could be fulfilled:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful  Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

It is only by coming in human form that we can truly know both the extent of his love,  and  the depth of his empathy as he knows what it is to be us.  Of course we can rely on Jesus’ advice, as he knows what it’s like to be human. When we are feeling weak or overwhelmed, we have his strength to draw on. Though we are all born with a father, he is the everlasting father of all and in a world torn apart by conflict and discord his mission is to bring unity. But perhaps the most encouraging phrase is at its opening ‘For to us’; Jesus came for no other reason than for us. So whether you are pleased with what is wrapped under the tree today know that you have everything you need in Jesus. His is the gift that keeps on giving.