And the angel said to them...

Many of you know that I've got three small children, and as I put them to bed tonight they were full of excitement about all that lies ahead tomorrow.

People sometimes say to me, "Christmas is for the children ...so enjoy it while you can ...they'll grow up in no time". And parents whose children have now grown up reminisce about Christmas's that have come and gone, ...and how for them the excitement of Christmas has gone too.

We've come to church this evening to hear again to the Christmas readings, ...the greatest story on Earth, ...and yet, perhaps for some of us, the excitement has gone because we've heard it so many times before.

I used to think that "Faulty Tower's" was one of the best TV series ever made. But having watched the repeats for the second or third time, I think it'll be a good few years before I'll want to watch them again.

And yet I guess that most of us here tonight have seen Christmas Nativity plays dozens of times. ...I know I have! The shepherds with tea-towels on their heads, and the angels with tinsel in their hair. ...We're so familiar with it all, it's no wonder that some school teachers today try to liven it up a bit by adding some exiting new characters.

The playgroup that one of my daughters goes to put on a very imaginative Nativity Play this week. It starred not only Mary Joseph and the baby Jesus, but also Father Christmas, a band of pirates and Bobby Shaftoe.

And we've heard to the Christmas Bible readings many times before. ...Yet I guess the more times we hear them, the less we really listen.

And so if you sometimes find Christmas a bit boring, ...you're probably in good company!

But there again, I reckon the shepherds near Bethlehem were probably a bit bored too! ...After all, watching sheep in the middle of the night couldn't have been the most interesting of jobs.

Perhaps you can imagine them sitting there in the dark, ...maybe huddled around a camp fire. Ordinary shepherds, in an ordinary field. ...Perhaps they'd been working in those parts for many years.

(Pause)

Then one night, ...totally unexpectedly, ...God broke through the darkness, and changed their lives.

A messenger from God suddenly appeared, (the word 'angel' simply means 'messenger'). ...And God's glory shone brightly around them, ...and they were absolutely terrified.

And this is what the messenger said to them.

"Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people." (GNB)

It seems to me that "good" news is one thing that's in short supply these days. Whenever I watch the news on the TV it nearly always seems to be dominated with bad news. And we get so used to this, that when some good news does come along, we find it hard to believe ...we think that there's got to be a catch.

Its like a messenger who knocks on your door and says, "The good news is that you've won 18 million pounds on the National Lottery. ...The bad news is that there's 20 million people standing outside, who want to help you spend it."

But the news that God's messenger brought had no catch.

God's messenger brought "good news of great joy", ...and many people here tonight could share their own experience of how this "good news" is just as relevant now as it was then.

But what exactly is this "good news"? ...Well this is how God's messenger explained it to the shepherds. He said:

"This very day in David's town your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord." (GNB)

The birth of Jesus was one of the greatest events that ever took place, ...it was a turning point in history, (we even fix our calendar by it). But it would have no meaning for us unless God had told us about it, ...and that's why he sent his messenger.

Jesus is our Saviour, ...he came to rescue us.

The World is not the sort of place that God intended it to be. Humanity has rebelled against God, ...we've gone our own way instead of going God's way, ...and we've done many things that we are ashamed of. And as a result, humanity is hopelessly lost. The blind are leading the blind. ...So Jesus came to rescue us.

At this time of year many people get stranded on our British mountains. Often they set off in good weather, ...but the weather conditions can change so rapidly.

Without warning, the mist comes down and, without the right equipment, they can so easy to loose their way. And once they have lost their way, the further they go, the worse things can get ...until they're hopelessly lost, and totally exhausted.

And then, ...all they can do is to take shelter, try to keep warm, ...and hope and pray that someone will care enough to come looking for them.

Fortunately there are people who care enough. Members of the Mountain Rescue are always ready for such an emergency. And sometimes this involves them putting their own lives at risk, in order to rescue those who are lost.

And that too is why Jesus came. ...He was born as a baby, so that he could become our saviour.

Thirty years later, Jesus himself said that he had come to seek and to save the lost (Lk. 19.10).

- He came to rescue us from a meaningless existence, ...and to give purpose and meaning to our lives.

- He came to rescue us from our wrongdoings, ...and to bring God's forgiveness,

- He came to rescue us from death, ...and to bring God's free gift of eternal life.

And as a famous Scottish preacher once put it, "There is no one so far lost that Jesus cannot find him and cannot save him" (Andrew Murray).

The messenger told the shepherds, "This very day in David's town your Saviour was born." ...And he went on to explain how they would recognise him, "You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." (GNB)

And after the messenger had left them, the shepherds said to one another:

"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us." (GNB)

You see they just had to go and see for themselves. The messenger had given them the briefest summary of what had happened, ...rather like the news headlines, ...and now they were eager to find out more. No doubt they wanted to talk to Mary and Joseph, and to hear the exiting stories that they had to tell. ...But most of all, they wanted to meet this baby, ...their Saviour, ...for themselves.

Now as my wife will tell you, I'm certainly no angel, ...but tonight I bring you the same message. ...And if what you have heard sounds like good news, then can I encourage you, like the shepherds, to find out more.

One step in that direction would be to ask me for a free copy of this booklet.

It's called "Why Jesus?", ...and it simply explains a little bit more about why Jesus came, and how you too can meet with the Saviour.

It's a small Christmas present from our Church ...there's no catch! But we don't want to give booklets to people who aren't interested, ...so if you would like a copy, please ask me for one as you leave church tonight.

"I'm here with good news for you, which has brought great joy to many, many people. 2000 years ago in David's town your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord."

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus, the greatest Christmas present of all.

Thank you that he came to rescue us, and to be our Saviour.

Help us to follow the shepherds in seeking Him with all haste, ...and to tell others about this wonderful news. Amen.

This booklet is a small gift from St. Bartholomew's Church.

We hope you found it helpful.

Next year we will be running an Alpha course for anyone interested

in finding out more about the Christian faith.

People of all ages are welcome, and we hope to have a lot of fun.

Alpha is a place where no question is thought to be too simple,

or too hostile.

If you would like further information about Alpha,

or if we can help in any other way,

please write your name on the back of this card and return it to

David Howard or Graeme Pringle.

We hope you have a very happy Christmas.

Name: ________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Please return this card to:

Rev'd David Howard OR Rev'd Graeme Pringle

68 Brandon Road 57 Princethorpe Way

Binley Binley

CV3 2JF CV3 2HG