The Christmas Story

Have you sat down recently and thought about the Christmas story? I bet most of us adults have not. I heard that an Australian scientist has now studied the skies and found out that we have the date all wrong and that we should be celebrating the birth of Jesus around April or June or some other date.

I guess if you live in Australia, December 25th, does seem kind of wrong to be celebrating a 'traditional' Christmas. We don't have cold weather and snow and our houses don't look like traditional little village scenes. But, when I sat and thought about it neither did the time or place of Jesus' birth look like that either.

His birth took place in a country without snow and the houses/inns did not have lights and tinsel. In fact he was born in a 'lowly stable' with only his loving family. Strangers took him in and came and visited him. His birth was shared and celebrated with the love of strangers.

The Christmas story holds a magic for me. I love the traditional children's nativity story. Whether it is the 'modern' version that we saw the Prep children perform at school this year. It had Angels with mobile phones - trying to call the shepherds. Sheep that got herded onto a long-haul and had to move out quickly to avoid the traffic on our local 'Ipswich motorway'. And a rock band (including lots of Elvis impersonators) celebrating the birth of Christ. Our laughter and joy, watching these amazing children is the true spirit of Christmas.

I love attending church to see the nativity play, to often see a newborn baby taking the part of baby Jesus and children that have practiced for months to present something special for us all.

So when you celebrate Christmas this year, will you celebrate with gifts and food alone? Or will you remember the reason that we celebrate. The reason that God sent his only son to be born among us, with love. To teach us that no matter what we do in our lives, he is there and we only have to turn to him and ask him for forgiveness and the joy and love of an amazing birth is ours to celebrate.

I wish for all of you the magic of the Christmas Story in your house this year. I hope that you can all recapture the special feelings that once touched us all, the magic of a special birth. The birth of a child and the birth of Joy and Hope.

This year along with our traditional reading of the "Night before Christmas", we will also read the "Christmas Story". Sarah asked us last year to please buy a copy, as this was the reason that we had Christmas and you know what? Our beautiful youngest child was right!