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Dear
Friends,
Did you know that you can now order a 'personalised message'
from Santa on DVD ? They're aimed at children,
of course, but they could equally well be for adults...
and, no, I'm not going to tell you where - if you really
want to know you can work it out for yourself !
Which just about sums up Christmas - God sent us a personalised
message and left us to work out what it means. He
sent Jesus, not as a letter or a book, or even as a DVD,
but as a living, breathing, speaking human being; and not
a ready-packaged adult, as if he were a visiting alien,
but going through all the stages of human development and
growth, all the doubts and joys of growing up and going
out into the world. Now that's some message !
So why do so few people listen ? Is it because we
want simpler answers ? Most of us do want simple answers,
to most things. I need a new kitchen bin that the
new cats can't open, so I want a quick solution; or
something different to put before dinner guests, without
hours spent reading recipe books or magazine articles; the
list is endless... but, sadly, we also expect quick
answers to the more profound questions in life as well -
'why am I dying ?', 'how can we stop the world warming up
?'. But these are not to be found so easily, and certainly
not by Googling them.
Beware those answers. I found a Christmas message
delivered last year by, of all people, the President of
Iran - and particularly aimed at Christians, and Britain,
believe it or not. It is deceptively warm, and you
and I might well agree with very nearly all of it (which
is the point, of course). He concludes: "We believe
Jesus Christ will return, together with one of the children
of the revered Messenger of Islam and will lead the world
to love, brotherhood and justice. The responsibility of
all followers of Christ and Abrahamic faiths is to prepare
the way for the fulfilment of this divine promise and the
arrival of that joyful, shining and wonderful age. I hope
that the collective will of nations will unite in the not
too distant future and, with the grace of the Almighty Lord,
that shining age will come to rule the earth. Once
again, I congratulate one and all on the anniversary of
the birth of Jesus Christ. I pray for the New Year to be
a year of happiness, prosperity, peace and brotherhood for
humanity. I wish you every success and happiness."
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a consumate politician, and as such
also a consummate liar - but Muslims are permitted to lie
in the furtherance of their faith. Christians are
not. That is one far-reaching difference between us
- we have no easy answers, but we do have a profound one.
Jesus shows us God, but will you and I look carefully enough
to see God this Christmas - or do you just want that DVD
?
A very Happy Christmas to you all !
William
Lang.
All of us at St. James' Church extend a very warm welcome
to you to join with us in our Christmas worship, further
details of which will be found on page 20.
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