December

I love Christmas, I know lots of people don’t like the rush for Christmas shopping. Others don’t like the expense of Christmas shopping while others hate the commercialisation of Christmas. I just love Christmas.

I love it for three reasons:

Firstly, I love mince pies. I just adore mince pies and so living in Markethill is the best place to live at Christmas time. You see, in the church we have two very important ladies, one makes the best Christmas pies in the country while the other makes the best brandy butter in the country. What a combination!

Secondly, I love chocolate. Now I know I can eat chocolate at any time of the year. But it is only at Christmas time that my family don’t complain when I eat chocolate. This is the time of year when I’m “allowed” to eat chocolate.

Thirdly, and this best reason why I love Christmas. It is because of Christmas that the God who made the universe calls me His friend, more than that, He calls me His son. Now, isn’t that a great reason to enjoy the season?  One of my favourite Christmas readings from the Bible which isn’t read at Christmas time is Ephesians 2:1-10.

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 . . . in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 . . . made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 . . . in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9 . . . not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This passage explains what we were like before receiving Christ (vv1-3) and then it tells us what we are now like in Christ (vv4-10).

Before Christ we were dead in our sins, under the wrath of God and slaves to sin, self and Satan.

Now we are alive in Christ, free from the Law and no longer slaves but free men and women to enjoy life to the full.

Paul tells us all because of the grace of God. When did that grace come? Yes, you’ve guessed it at Christmas.

No wonder I love Christmas. Hopefully we will all focus on the greatest gift of all this Christmas and so will not have to worry too much about the smaller ones we have to rush to buy.

Daniel Rankin