“CHRISTMAS GIFTS” –
a CHRISTMAS DAY MESSAGE
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Reading: |
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Above: “Joyeux
Noel” – |
OK Just
to get you in the mood for your Christmas Cracker
jokes –
What did
Adam say on the day before Christmas ?
It's
Christmas, Eve !
What does
Fr Christmas suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney?
Santa
Claustrophobia !
Why was
Santa's little helper depressed?
Because he had low elf esteem.
What do
angry mice send to each other at Christmas ?
Cross
mouse cards !
Why did Sherlock Holmes want a yellow door for Christmas?
Lemony-entry
my dear Watson
Why is a broken drum the best possible Christmas Present?
Because
you just can’t beat it
Talking
of ideal presents – as I suppose we were –
the website Re-Jesus has been inviting people this Christmas
to do a different kind of Christmas giving -
The idea is that, in addition to the normal gifts you
give,
you organize some random acts of kindness –
it doesn’t need to cost much money,
but may need some imagination and enthusiasm –
People have been writing in to say what they have done –
·
Someone
found a rough patch of muddy ground by the side of a road,
and planted a tree to cheer the place up.
·
Someone
regularly uses a toll bridge –
each time they queued to pay they simply went to the car behind
and paid for them too, and then drove off.
Maybe we could do a couple of things each like that over Christmas?
Even it is just smiling at everyone as you walk down the street –
a bit of reckless, prodigal, random kindness –
Who knows what fruit it might bear?
There
seem to have been a lots of colds and ‘flu
going round in the last few weeks –
of course as soon as someone starts coughing and sneezing,
it can spread like wildfire.
Love and
kindness can be like that -
if you start spreading a bit of kindness about, who knows,
you might start an epidemic, with everyone catching the bug.
On Christmas Day 1914, many French, German and British
soldiers
arranged unofficial truces and came out of their WW1 trenches
to meet up in No Man’s Land.
They exchanged gifts, shared wine and chocolate,
sang carols, played football ….
Of course the authorities punished many of those
involved.
Why?
Because the powers that be knew that when you start singing
and sharing photos of your wives and girlfriends,
it gets much harder to hate and kill the other guy.
And whether it’s the Kaiser or Kitchener, Bush or Bin
Laden,
neither the sword not the machine gun
is ultimately a match for the power of love.
And 2000
yrs ago, God looked down on battlefield earth,
and saw the hurt and the hate and the sorrow – and thought:
“Shall I send cavalry or infantry, bullet or bomb?”
Then he
said “No, I’ll send something much more powerful –
I’ll send pure undiluted love in all its vulnerability and power “-
So Christ was born at Bethlehem.
A few years ago a family was sending
out food parcels to Eastern Europe.
Because it was a Christmas hamper,
they decided to include a festive touch.
They cooked a traditional Christmas pudding,
and sent it off in its bowl in the parcel.
They even stuck o piece of holly on the top.
A month later they got a warm letter of thanks for all the things in the
parcel.
Until they remembered the pudding they were confused by the PS:
“Thank you also for the potted plant.
We watered it every day, but I am afraid that it died.”
God’s
gift of himself cannot die –
for it is the gift of life itself.
If we ignore or misunderstand him,
still he will be there waiting for us to turn back to him.
If we accept his gift, then he will live in us.
What a
gift to share!!
Order of Service
Christmas Day 10.30 a.m. All Age Worship
We give you a warm welcome to our
Christmas morning service,
and wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas
Organ: “Noel Suisse” – Daquin
“Noel sur Grands Jeux” – Daquin
“Quand Jesus Nacquit à Noel” - Balbastre
Hymn 106 “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
(During this carol, the five Advent candles will be lit)
Prayers
Talking about presents
Hymn 107 “In the bleak midwinter"
(During this
carol a collection will be taken for the work of
the National Children’s Home(NCH) - Please give
generously )
Reading:
Luke 2:1-20
“Glory,
Glory” from “Rock Nativity”
(members of the cast sing the verse - everyone sings the
chorus)
Address
Hymn 113 “O Little Town
of Bethlehem”
Prayers
and Lord’s Prayer
Hymn
110 “O come all ye
faithful”
Blessing
Organ:
“Toccata” – Eugene Gigout