The Real Story

Christmas is, for me, a time I cannot enjoy as much as I would like. We see regular news stories about people in the secular world celebrating Christmas in a very inappropriate way. Their behaviour is antisocial for the most part. Many set out on sessions of binge drinking and finish up behaving in a fashion that is totally unacceptable. Their antics end with a number of them spending time in Accident and Emergency units being treated for drink inflicted ailments and injuries. They take up valuable police time as the streets are patrolled by large numbers opf officers. Many of them end up in police cells for fighting.

Then there are the motorists who have been out drinking and set off for home incapable of driving their cars. Some of these cause the deaths of other motorists, their own passengers, and pedestrians. This causes sorrow and heartache in families at a time when they too want to celebrate the festive season. Instead of the planned family Christmas they are bereaved at a time when all around are in festive mood.

There are no excuses whatsoever. Those who spread misery and heartache at such a time by their unacceptable behaviour deserve no consideration themselves. If they end up in jail for their actions they have only themselves to blame.

But let me now turn to the real story that Christmas is all about. It is the time when Christians celebrate the coming of Jesus, the saviour of the world. But even then I need to talk seriously about a number of aspects of the birth of Jesus. Some years ago I was preaching in a United Reformed Church during Advent. It was at a time when I had just got the real story of the birth of Jesus sorted out in my mind. What I said in my sermon alienated several of the congregation. Some of them walked out without a greeting.

Year after year we tend to accept stories of the birth which simply do not stand up to scrutiny in view of scholarship. Take the shepherds, for instance. It is highly unlikely that they would be out on the hillsides watching over their sheep on a cold winter night. They would have herded their flocks into sheepfolds where the animals would have been both safe and warm during very cold nights. If you accept this then it knocks on the head the story of the visitation of the angel and the choir of the heavenly host. Personally, I have grave doubts about such a story because it is just too sweet to be true anyway.

Now let's take a look at the story of the Magi and the start they are said to have followed. In those days there certainly were people who made a great study of the heavens. They believed that the movement of these heavenly bodies affected life and heralded great events. I can, therefore, accept the existence and perhaps the journey of the Magi. That there were three of them no one can say because the Bible story speaks of three gifts that were brought but not of three men. To actually give them names is an act within fiction. As for the star I can accept it as a happening and I can accept its movement. But do not ask me to believe that anyone could tell that it moved until it was over Bethlehem. As for the idea that it came to a stop over a specific location in the town, this is totally outside the bounds of reason. It is a beautiful story but it is not true.

Having torn these lovely stories to shreds, let me now give you what I believe to be the real story as recorded in St Luke's gospel. Although I do not go along with the tale of the annunciation word for word, there lies at its heart good news in abundance. Here I shall show what it was all about:

And Mary said:

"My soul tells out the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour;

for he has looked with favour on his servant,

lowly as she is.

From this day forward

all generations will count me blessed,

for the Mighty God has done great things for me.

His name is holy,

his mercy sure from generation to generation

toward those who fear him.

He has shown the might of his arm,

he has routed the proud and all their schemes;

he has brought down monarchs from their thrones,

and raised on high the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the help of Israel, his servant,

as he promised to our forefathers;

he has not forgotten to show mercy

to Abraham and his children's children forever."

This, my friends, is what Christmas is all about. We have great reason for celebrating the coming of the Saviour because he came to show us new and better values by which to live. The whole Magnificat spoken by Mary came true within his life span. Mary spoke fundamental truth in those few verses. All that Jesus preached and all that he did was refected in those few words. We can absolutely rely upon this.

But do not, for one moment, think that I shall not be singing Christmas carols and listening to the ancient stories this year. On Sunday I shall be there at the candlelit carol service in our historic church in Amlwch, Anglesey and singing as loud as anyone else! I am taking part in a sketch about the Three Wise Men. A few days later, Pauline and I will be going over to Bangor Cathedral on the mainland to be in the congregation when they have "Nine Lessons and Carols". I shall enjoy celebrating once more our dear saviour's birth along with many other Christians. As we read the stories we simply need to say "They may not be literally true but they speak volumes about the truth."