01344 761050 St Sebastian's Church Office office@stsebastians.org.uk

Dear Friends,

CS Lewis said, “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our world”.   According to Max Lucado, “the story of Christmas is the story of God’s relentless love for us”.

The questions for today as we approach Christmas are whether we knew of the greatness of Jesus in the stable and his relentless love for us as a baby?  Surely, the answer to both questions must be yes!

The Prophet Isaiah wrote in the 53rd chapter (see below) about the character of Christ some 740 years before His birth:

“He was despised and rejected — a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.   We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.  He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;  it was our sorrows that weighed him down.   And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!   But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.   He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.    All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

Could this be the greatness of the same Baby Jesus in the stable?   The short answer is yes.   It was the destiny of Christ’s humanity to carry our weakness, to take on himself our sorrows, pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins, hurt so we could be healed and the placing of our sins on Him.  He was the original Wounded Healer!

The love of Christ continues to be exemplified daily after over 2,000 years as we reflect on His love for us.  Love that was fixed in His nature before birth in light of His eternal existence with the Father.    He loves us, we love Him.  He loves us, we love our neighbour.   Sure, some of us may forget who our neighbour is or fail to acknowledge them.   But the gift of confession and daily repentance reminds us of these basic responses which, after time, embeds with sprinklings of the Word of God and interceding for others through prayer.   Josh Yeoh sang: “Every time I pray, I move the hands of God.  My prayer does the things my hands cannot do!”   Such prayers flow out of the Love of God for us.   While we were persons most hurt and frustrated with life, we received the gift of a second chance, no matter how many times we approached Jesus through prayer.   The change in us is not just in ourselves but those who we intercede for daily.

It is because of the above life examples of Jesus we celebrate His birth on 25th December.  This wonderful mystery of God’s dwelling among us in the fullness of humanity as Immanuel, historically foretold and born of Mary.   Also, Jesus Christ is known as the Lord, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, “He is recognised as a baby lying in a manger and wrapped snuggly in strips of cloth”, according to the 2nd chapter of Luke’s Gospel.  “He was the light for people who walked in darkness, a light that shined on all where death casts its shadow, and He is the light of the world” (9th chapter of Isaiah).

I shared in 2023 that Christmas is thus a timely reminder that we are not just celebrating the birth of Christ but the enduring outcome of His humanity the last three years of His life, which reached the outer limits of earth over 2,000 years to date.  The words of Jesus are still impacting the lives of many.   The above reflection still matters this Christmas into 2025.

Charles Dickens cited in “A Christmas Carol”, “I will honour “Christmas” (peace and goodwill to all humankind) in my heart, and try to keep it all year long.”   I hope we are able to keep “Christmas” all year long.  We will be able to respond in the wise counsel of Mother Teresa:  “It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you … yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.”   These right behaviours cannot be limited to the “12 days of Christmas” but rooted in our hearts during 2025 to make a real impact on the lives of others.  That is the true of heart of Christmas.

I do hope that you take the time to join us in one or more of our Christmas Services at St Sebastian’s celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (see list of services in this website’s calendar).

On behalf of our Parish, may I wish you and your families: peace, goodwill and love this Christmas season and a new year of blessings.

With love

 

Reverend Rickey Simpson-Gray

Parish of Wokingham St Sebastian’s

 

A Prayer for the Christmas season

Almighty God,

you have given us your only begotten Son

to take our nature upon him

and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:

grant that we, who have been born again

and made your children by adoption and grace,

may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen