A Time of Mystery

I remember waking up early on Christmas Day as a child, and in the early morning light silently looking to make sure there was a bulging pillowcase hanging at the end of the bed. Pillowcases, you would realise are bigger than stockings, but in tough times they were probably also cheaper, because there was a supply of them in the cupboard. Whatever mum and dad's financial capacity, they always made sure that Christmas was a special time and the pillowcase was always full of interesting things.

There was a certain mystery about Christmas that I was happy to maintain.  I don't recall Santa ever getting a serious mention, but I did know that mum and dad always acted very strangely on Christmas Eve and were anxious for me to get to bed early.

There is something special about Christmas that I fear we have taken away in our rush towards commercialism, but it is worthwhile, just for a moment, to take a childlike look at this important season.

In a world of economic rationalism and globalisation, a world of climate change and carbon taxes, a world where violence is evident in schools and homes as well as on the battlefield, the story of a baby born in a stable somewhere in the Middle East may seem insignificant.

But it is in this story that we are introduced to someone who had been anticipated for hundreds of years before and whose life and death has influenced society for thousands of years since. This story is not just a blip in history, but the defining story in the lives of those who have chosen to say yes to Jesus. Christmas is a time when I am able to give thanks that Jesus came as a baby, and that through his life and death I have found a purpose and hope.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Christmas to all those who have read my blog this year and to thank you for your support.  While this blog is written specifically for people associated with Baptistcare, it is read much wider than this and it is a privilege to be able to say something from time to time that helps people, wherever they are, to think more deeply about various issues we face in life.

I gave the benedication at our church's Carols night last night. Here it is:

May the Christ of Christmas bring peace in a world where violence is so evident;
May the Christ of Christmas bring joy when sadness surrounds you like a black cloud;
May the Christ of Christmas being hope when you feel that things are hopeless;
May the Christ of Christmas enfold you, and envelope you, and enrich you with his love at Christmas and every other day.
Amen.