Christmas all age eucharist 2009

A lady’s looking for work and sees a sign on a house: “PAINTER WANTED.” So she goes to the house and knocks on the door, telling the owner, “I’m here for the paint job.”

“OK.” The guy hands her a couple cans. “Here’s the paint. I want you to paint the porch.” She says, “No problem,” gets the paint and sets off to work.

It’s not very long until she knocks on the door again. “All finished.”

Handing over the money, the owner exclaims, “That didn’t take very long!”

“I even gave it two coats,” she says, pocketing the money. “And oh, by the way, it’s not a Porch, it’s a Ferrari.”

So what did we get for Christmas? A Porsche, a Ferrari – I need a new car. No, I got a battery charger – and…. anyone do better than that?

Come on children, cheer me up! Who got a Spiderman action toy, an electric scooter, a Twister video game, a Batmobile

Children share the presents they’ve received.

There’s a couple of young ladies who got an early Christmas present. Grace and Sadie Hitchen. Grace, what did you get for Christmas at Hooters across the road?

Baby John Barnabas Hitchen – baby Barnie.

Let’s have a look at Barnie because we’re going to bless him during the prayers today.

Applaud Barnie

Who else got a baby as Christmas present?

Mary and Joseph

At Christmas we get some great presents but we also have a reminder of the greatest present human beings have ever been given, the gift of Jesus.

Each year we remember the wonderful thing that happened in Bethlehem 2009 years ago.

God became a human being and began life in the household of Mary and Joseph as a little baby.

We welcome afresh God’s gift, the gift of Jesus.

What difference does the coming of Jesus make?

I’ll tell you but first let’s see if we remember a memory line I gave you a few months back.

The Son of God (hands up) became the son of Man (touch heart) so that children of men (touch shoulders) could become children of God (hands up).

What do I mean?

The other week I was walking under some power lines. You know, really high power cables that were carrying electricity from one place to another.

As I walked under the power lines I looked up and saw loads of birds on the lines.

I thought to myself, because I could hear the humming, how can those birds sit on the cables without getting frazzled?

Can any adult tell me why birds can sit safely on power lines whereas if the cables fell on us they’d kill us?

For electricity to flow you need to complete the circuit. If a bird could touch the cables and the earth power would flow through them.

God carries power. It’s the power that upholds the universe. Among the creatures in the universe one creature was specially designed in his image. Anyone know which creature on the earth is made specially like that?

A human being

Now God wanted to bring his power to play in the lives of human beings. Not so they’d get frazzled but so they’d be strong enough to do great things for him on earth.

What happened? He came down to earth and completed the circuit by becoming a man in Jesus. The Son of God descended from the power lines. He didn’t get frazzled but he did go through some stuff. Jesus, the Son of God became Son of Man. He died, rose and gave the Holy Spirit so all who received him could be part of God’s powerful circuit.

St John says at the start of his Gospel (1.12) to all who received Jesus and believed in his name Jesus gives power to become children of God.

Christmas is about getting God’s power into your life. We sang at the start of the Eucharist about Jesus being born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. It’s true he does raise us and empower us.

Let’s try the memory line: The Son of God (hands up) became the son of Man (touch heart) so that children of men (touch shoulders) could become children of God (hands up).

Last thought, especially for grown ups.

It may be Christmas finds you a little overwhelmed. You may even identify with the jobless lady I told you who messed up the Porch, sorry Ferrari. Maybe you’re fighting regrets about the past, anxieties about the future, whatever.

In that case you’re like a bird on a power line – you’re sitting on your answer. Complete the circuit. Let God empower you for a new flight by welcoming Jesus today. Here’s part of your answer: the truth we’re here to celebrate at Christmas. Christ’s Mass is, simply stated, the bread and wine God ordained to keep the circuit operating after Jesus came down to Bethlehem in Palestine.

God was man in Palestine and lives today in bread and wine. Here is power for living and the best present God gives at this time – Christmas Communion, here for the taking and receiving, and available not just at Christmas but all the year through.