We wish you a Merry Christmas!

What part of Christmas do you look forward to most? The music, the gifts, the cheer...? Where to begin!

Back when I was a lad, I lived in the far-off land of Ethiopia. And so it was that my first memorable experiences of Christmas were set in that amazing country. Christmas was always a time of fun and joy, a relaxed and even magical time of the year which I always loved.

Christmas in Ethiopia, though, isn’t quite the same. For starters, they’ve got the date all wrong; they celebrate it on January the 6th. Not only did this lead to a great deal of confusion about when one could open one’s presents, but while I was enjoying my Christmas, all my friends were still waiting for theirs, which wasn’t ideal, but I still loved the Christmas season.

And the presents, well, the presents were never great in all honesty. When the only shop in town is the local butcher, you aren’t exactly overwhelmed by gift options. But nevertheless, those presents that I did receive always brought tremendous excitement and joy.

Oh, and the music. What’s all this business of dreaming about a white Christmas? In Ethiopia the weather was always gorgeous at Christmas time; a white Christmas was rather a preposterous idea to my young mind, and I never for a moment fell for this silly business of enjoying a freezing cold winter Christmas.

But that was Christmas to me, and I cherished it. Never once did I think that Christmas could get any better.

I returned to the UK agedfourteen, during summer, which left me thinking the weather here wasn’t too bad. I was wrong. The days grew shorter and colder, and I began to wallow in dismay at the loss of Ethiopia, and refused to embrace this pathetic and miserable season as the fulfilment of many a besotted artist’s Christmas songs.

But then came Christmas, and for the first time I began to see what it was all about! The twinkling lights strung across dark cobbled streets, the smell of crushed pine needles, the rich flavours of mince pies and the warmth of mulled wine. The season seems capable of making even the most miserable of folk able produce a friendly “hello” as you pass them on the street.

And let me not forget the snow. That first Christmas, I awoke one morn’ to the sight of a landscape covered in a blanket of white.

And suddenly, those countless songs I’d listened to, and enjoyed singing, became real. The Christmas I’d heard about but never really paid any attention to was suddenly my actual Christmas, and it was better than any I’d had before; Christmas had improved.

I’d love to invite you to never stop searching for a happier Christmas, and if I may offer a way to do so, let me share with you the foundation of my Christmas, which has and will always be by far the most joyful part of it.

On an ordinary night in a small town some 2000 years ago, a small, wrinkly baby was born in a little room, surrounded by stinking animals and laid in a disgustingly unhygienic manger. The lowest and most humiliating of births imaginable, a real birth, a baby who screamed and cried like any other; and I truly believe this baby was God.

This may not be the charming nativity scene that you’ve heard of before, in fact, quite the opposite, and it sure doesn’t sound like good news. But it is, and here’s why.

It means that God is not Father Christmas, a distant figure watching your every step to see if you are naughty or nice, concerned only with his presents. Everyone loves Santa one day of the year, but the rest of the time he’s just a loner. Is that the story of God?

No. This is a God whose gift is himself, his all, his own life. And it’s not just gifted to those good enough to merit it, but it’s a free gift to everyone. This is a God who comes to the world out of love, his intention to befriend us, and who comes offering joy.

I asked you at the start what your favourite part of Christmas was, and there are so many things to choose from, but for me the lowly birth of a baby eclipses them all.

If you would like to keep searching for an even Merrier Christmas, consider starting here, with Jesus. The Christian Union carol service is happening on the 8th of December. We’d love you all to come along and get into the Christmas Spirit with us. Sing some Christmas Carols, enjoy some mince pies, and if you would like to find out a little more about Jesus, about whom so many songs of joy have been written.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!