Rev Helen gave this sermon during the midnight service on Christmas Eve 2024. Here it is for you again:
Let me ask you a question to ponder, if you were given a chance to know or see your future, would you take it? Would you let it influence you?
It’s an interesting though isn’t it as it’s quite an unlikely thing to happen in fairness but it is something to think about? Of course we are probably aware of a Christmas Story of someone who saw their future and it had a profound affect on them. I’m thinking of A Christmas Carol of course and I’m sure you will have all seen one of the many versions of it over the years, Jim Carrey one, Patrick Stewart one, Doctor Who, Blackadder even the Muppets have had a go (which is one of the superior versions I think we can agree). If you really want to feel this story, you have to go right back to Charles Dickens original version 1843. If you’ve never gone back to this one I would encourage you to do so, it about 120 pages of a story set in five chapters, four of them are the four spirits, Marley, Past, Present and the Future and the final one is the consequences of those visits. Which of course results in a huge life change for him.
When I look at that crib and see the Christ child lying in it as a tiny baby, I wonder if he knew the impact that we will have on the world, but also in the past, present and future. Think about Jesus past and the things that were said about him before he was born. We’ve heard some of them this evening in that first reading from Isaiah ‘Wonderful,’ ‘Councillor’ ‘Mighty God,’ ‘Prince of Peace’, he would rule of the world with justice, that’s just the once we’ve heard tonight there were many others. Look in the crib now at that little baby, that’s a lot for him to live up to!
The present, we’ll we heard our gospel today of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and have their baby in a shed, he’s heralded by angels but also by shepherd’s, really showing the ordinary ness of this scene when it is the birth of such an extraordinary child.
But what about the future? I mean if you just look up from my right shoulder you will see a very stark reminder of where Jesus was going to be in his mid thirties. If you were him would you want to know that? It’s a stark contrast to the baby in the crib. The funny thing is though Jesus knew what his future held, he talked about it in cryptic ways through his ministry but sometimes he was very honest. This is from the gospel of Matthew ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify,’. Can you imagine if you saw that in your future? I’d be terrified it’s scary but Jesus wasn’t, ok he might have been afraid at times but he knew his future and went on because he knew he wasn’t alone. He knew that God would be with him and God would come through for him and as God promised he would be raised from the dead.
So let’s go back to the question from the start. If you could see your future, would you do it? Would you be afraid of what you saw and be tempted to make a change? Scrooge did and that turned out well? Let me tell you this we don’t need to be afraid of the future or even worry about what it holds because just over 2,000 years ago a baby boy was born, a very special baby boy who brought hope to the world and he said, you are precious to me, you are loved by me and no matter what happens you need not be afraid for as my father was with me I will be with you. With Jesus by our side, what do we really have to fear ever? Amen
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 