I wish you every blessing for Christmas.

One of the great mysteries of the Midnight Service is that we always hear John’s account of the Incarnation of Jesus. Now I don’t know about you but getting my mind around such things when we start a service on Christmas Eve and finish on Christmas Day stretches my mind to the point where all I want to do is curl up and go to sleep.

So for those of us feeling a little tired let us put things into simple terms. Just over 2,000 years ago a baby was born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph. They had had to travel to Bethlehem because a census had been ordered, as Mary was exceedingly pregnant and the last 25 miles had been up a very steep hill all the accommodation had been taken so they ended up in a stable where she gave birth. They didn’t have a cradle so the baby was put in a manger.

Their first visitors were shepherds who told them that they had been visited by angels who told them of the birth of the Messiah and the Angels had sung a hymn of praise.

It was amazing that Jesus’ first visitors were shepherds, who lived on the edge of society and were rated by the Jewish leaders to be 3rd, 4th or even 5th class in society and yet God had spoken to them not to the leaders of their day. What a great privilege that God accepted those on the periphery of society to be the first to worship the Christ Child.

In this fact alone this is not just good news but great news, because whoever you are you are welcome to join us in worshipping Jesus, the Son of God.

To all of you I wish every blessing on this Christmas Night.

God bless,

Andrew SSL