Tag: Christmas

>Children

David HerbertLeave a comment

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A frosty morning for a run – all the better for seeing more clearly!

Carol services always raise the contentious issue of the place of children. If the service is too child-centred the adults complain about it not being enough for them (as if services are for our own pleasure). If the services are too formal, parents worry that it’s been boring for their children. All very ironic as the Christmas story is totally child-centred (baby centred), and when that child grew up he used a child to show his disciples what faithfulness looks like.

One way round is to take turns. One year, the Carol Service is for children – the next it’s for adults. While it may teach some people a lesson it doesn’t do much for healing divisions.

The inescapable fact is that Christmas celebrates God’s gift, in the form of a baby and those who enter the spirit of Christmas accept that gift with joy. Children love the story and love playing their part in it – as you can see from these photos of our recent Nativity. Their response, joy and enthusiasm is an inspiration for us all. Not only should we welcome the Christ child as God’s gift, we should also welcome children as God’s gift – to be treasured, and as we say as a church in the baptism service – “we receive them with joy”.

>A child is born

David HerbertLeave a comment

>Well done R. We have known you since you were four – and now, 14 years later, you have given birth to a son. Good luck to you, to R and your partner, and to your Mum and all the family who will be in the supporters’ club.
A long time ago in Bethlehem another baby was born. The baby’s grandparents must have wished it was all otherwise – knowing that bringing a baby into the world is hard enough in itself, let alone when the political powers herd you like cattle (the “round up” in Bethlehem) and when you’ve got a cruel king like Herod breathing down your neck.
Tonight, in the city of Liverpool, the Year of Culture is being launched with the Liverpool Nativity being shown on BBC3. One of the shots shows Mary and Joseph at the bus stop. It looks like they are waiting for the bus to go and “sign on” at the DSS. They have a battered suitcase and plastic bag for their journey and are surrounded by the rubbish of an outer estate bus stop on a cold winter’s day – including overturned shopping trolley.

>Power and Christmas

David HerbertLeave a comment

>Kenneth Stevenson in his book Watching and Waiting: A guide to the celebration of Advent refers to a Christmas sermon preached by Austin Farrer. He made the following observations:
We love the exercise of power in ourselves, it is the citadel of our being, our darling sin. We hate it in our neighbours, and in order to escape from it, we take a pathetic refuge in meaninglessness. . .

I don’t think we hate it in others that much – only when it doesn’t serve our purposes. Power plays an important part in the Christmas story. The power of heaven surrenders itself to the earthly powers. A young girl, her husband and a baby are no match for Herod. The powers of heaven come to their aid when they warn Mary and Joseph that they need to fiind asylum in Egypt – but from birth to death Jesus is in the hands of the powers of the world.