The most important thing

Christmas has become awfully tangled up for us.

It is too commercial, we say,
people no longer know the story of Jesus.
We should do more than just be nice to people  on one day a year

All that is true
And we we ourselves...can stop it being too commercial
can share the story of Jesus
and we can of course be nice to people any time we like 

We don't need to be surprised by any or all of this
Because when we are presented by the idea of
God becoming human
in the form of Jesus.
We have the idea that God is in the whole of life,
not just the nice bits.
or the proper bits.

He is in the commercialism,
and amidst the difficult relationships

God comes to us in human form
not just so that we might experience a sort of divine political correctness
Or get wrapped over the knuckles
because we've ben a bit naughty.

It is because we are in a mess
that God comes to stand alongside us.

Where is the mess in your life today
Where are things really going pear-shaped

The babe of Bethlehem
is God's sign that he is reaching out to us
where it matters.

Tonight in the quiet

you may invite him to speak with you

and just as we can seemingly recognise at Christmas that
our world is a bit too greedy
that the story of Jesus is too important to lose
and that we can improve our relationships.

What is Jesus saying to me?

Listen.

Of course we may just then forget all about it
But God's purpose
as he comes to be with us.
Is that things might be rather different

Do we have the courage,
to listen and respond ?

Seems like an offer to good to refuse.