Christmas 2007

I have two opportunities to communicate via preaching this Christmas. Sunday morning 23rd December - Advent 4. I want to talk then about God's purpose (Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25) and our part in response. A particular theme I will explore is 'family'. God placed Jesus in a family which nurtured him in his growth towards fulfilling God's purpose. At Christmas time 'family' is under examination; so why not do some reflecting on the course our family life is taking? The second opportunity is Christmas morning itself (Luke 2:1-14) when my theme will be 'Meeting Jesus for the first time'. The shepherds and others met Jesus for the first time. Have we met Jesus for the first time? Do we need to refresh our relationship with Jesus? One of the great insights of the Lukan nativity is that we can meet Jesus for the first time at anytime. The shepherds met Jesus in the middle of the night; Simeon met Jesus for the first time at the end of his life!