Christmas: Bah, humbug!
'A Christmas Carol' has been animated. Apparently it makes the darker bits darker and the slapstick funnier. The main character Ebenezer Scrooge is known for his now famous comment on Christmas: "Bah, humbug!" To be accused of being a Scrooge is to know that you're out of step with the mood of the moment and deeply lost in your private but miserable little world. Scrooge considers Christmas to be an inconvenient intrusion. But all this changes due to the visit of three ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. His own mean-spirited approach stands in stark contrast to the family of Bob Cratchet, his employee, who leads a simple life and cares for a sick son. Scrooge is made to face up to his own selfish existence and doesn't like the consequences. The truth proves to be powerful and life changing.

It is the power of the truth that is at the heart of Christmas. The spirit of Christmas is not generated by a whiff of mulled wine, the sound of crackers being pulled and wrapping paper being torn to reveal a present. At the heart of Christmas is Jesus Christ who makes us face up to our own selfish existence, which ends in gloom. It is this truth that is powerful and life changing.

In the New Testament we read a profound sentence about the coming of Jesus: 'That which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the word of life' (I John 1v1). Christians unashamedly proclaim the wonder of Jesus' birth that is to be celebrated at Christmas. The fact that God came as the man Jesus Christ to be seen, touched and heard is truly astounding. It is He who is the word of life. He embodies the fullness of life and gives this life to all who give themselves to Him. This powerful truth is life changing, as it brings with it the future hope of rescue for heaven. This is aptly expressed in one of the Christmas carols: 'And our eyes at last shall see Him, through his own redeeming love; for that Child, so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heaven above; and He leads His children on to the place where He is gone' [Once in Royal David's City by H.J. Gauntlett].

I look forward to meeting you at one of the Christmas services where we rejoice in the wonder of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I hope that this will be the centre of your Christmas celebrations.

Yours in Christ,

Paul Kingman
Dec. 09