Navigation

 

 

 

Link To Our Site

We have a graphical thumbnail that you can use to link to our site.

Read More

More Information

If you wish to enquire about Sunday services, Baptisms (Christenings), Weddings or Funerals then please contact us.

Click here to see details of how to contact us.

24th Dec 2006 - Midnight Mass Service - St Margaret's Halstead

24th Dec 2006 - Sermon

Readings - Isaiah 52: 7-10; John 1: 1-14

I have asked the churchwardens to turn the electric lights off for a while, so that we can concentrate on the light from the Candles – and particularly the large Candle which is up in the sanctuary in front of the altar.  The churchwardens are also listening our for snoring in the darkness !!!!

Can I invite you to concentrate on looking at the large candle that is placed in front of the Altar this evening or one of the other candles which are the only light on the church at present.

Bishop Michael, in his Christmas message this year, starts off with a comment about the particular passage that we heard from the Gospel of John – which is one of the most important readings over the Christmas period.  The passage showed, said Bishop Michael, “The promise of the coming of Jesus is like the coming of light out of darkness”.

Just imagine for a moment, if you had been living in a dark, damp cave with no light; … always bumping into the walls, not being able to know when it was day or night.  How would you see to eat, or even how would you know where was the way out of the dark cave?   Would it feel like a prison perhaps? Could you ever get used to it ?

And then, in the distance, you see a light – perhaps just like the candle at the altar this evening.  Flickering gently.  It looks at first such a small light.  How could just one light help you ?  Would it be strong enough to enable you to see your way out of the cave ?

But what appeared to be, at first, a small flickering light you realised was getting stronger and its light was lighting up the whole cave as you eyes became accustomed.  However dark the cave is, you realise that the light from your small candle continues.

.....  Well, as I am sure many of you will realise, I could go on with the analogies with the cave and the light, but I wanted to get us to think this evening of light and how important it is to our well-being in so many ways and how this evening, of all evenings, we are thinking of the coming of Christ as a human child amongst us – as “ The true light, which enlightens EVERYONE …” as John writes in his gospel.

And, it was also because of the importance of light that Apostle John used it as an analogy for Christ.  Just like a reasonable sermon-writer today, John was using analogy to make the reality of Christ’s coming and birth understandable to his audience – in his case rather sceptical Greeks who regarded themselves as rather too intellectual and sophisticated for all this “modern” religious nonsense !!    As John himself says at the end of the Gospel  “ These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing in Him you might have life in His name”  You see, sermon-writers’ goals have not changed in about 1700 years at all ?

If we think back to what was happening around the time of Christ’s birth. The Jewish people had lost their Temple, which had been destroyed, and they were under the occupation of a foreign power (Rome) which trying to impose upon them a different way of life and language. 

Life was pretty dismal and dark.  They had been hearing ever since the time of the prophet Isaiah, whom we heard in our first reading, that a Messiah would come and restore their importance.  However, what the Jewish people were NOT expecting was for their salvation to come in the form of a child – especially a child born in the lowly surroundings of a stable. 

For us today, about 2006 after the birth of Christ, life for many in our world can be dark and dismal.  For the refugees fleeing from persecution or poverty… for the homeless people in the country and elsewhere. 

At Harvest this year, as in previous years, our churches gave food and support to the Manna Society which is based in South London.  The society supports those people who seem to have “fallen between the cracks” of the welfare system.  For them, this will be another tough Christmas.  And yet, as I commented at Harvest, many of us rush through that area of South London on our way into work in London – where there is much, and often an excessive amount of opulence and wealth – without perhaps giving it a second glance or even being aware of the suffering and want so close to our own homes.  You see, for many people the “darkness” of despair and fear, of hunger and want is not that far away. 

For many others, although they might have much to eat and drink, their lives are also “dark” due to neglect, abuse or illness. 

Others still have difficulty accepting the “free gift” which is the joy of a belief in a loving and caring God. 

I recently watched an interesting TV programme about atheists.  What was so striking to me, was that most of the scientists could argue quite well against the existence of God – until the moment BEFORE the Big Bang.  Then, even they could only speculate.

For many people, they are still in the sort of “darkness” to which John was referring in his Gospel.  The “darkness” of unbelief, of poverty of hopelessness and of suffering.  …. And it was into such a world that Christ came – as the “light” to show us all the way out of the dark cave of our unbelief or suffering.  Christ, when He was on earth, also performed many miracles and healed many people – in order to show that with God NOTHING is impossible.

So here we are, 2006 years, almost to the hour, that Christ was born.  With 2006 years of experiences and beliefs….  and yet perhaps if John were to come back to many parts of our world, or even our own country, he might still say that “… the world did not know (Christ)”… even though He was seemingly coming amongst His own people.  Are we sometimes also thinking that what WE want is a saviour who can answer all our questions and take away all the problems of the world ?

Well, think for a moment how God chose to reveal Himself to us….  As a small and vulnerable child.  A HUMAN child that needs care a nurture, love and understanding and who will make mistakes as he grows up.  We are all the same aren’t we?  However old or young we are.  We still have those needs and desires. 

So this evening, as we wait again to remember and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us gaze into the light of the candles that are keeping the church lit.  As the light flickers in the darkness, let us remember all the times that our own faith has flickered.  Perhaps at the moment we feel greatly challenged with some aspects of our faith.  That is OK.  We all go through periods where the flicker of the candle of our faith is weaker than at other times.  We sometimes need to talk that through with somebody or just sit down and pray.  However, let us all remember that, just like the lights this evening, or the light in the dark cave that I mentioned earlier, the darkness of our worries and doubts CANNOT put out the light of Christ.  “… the darkness did not overcome it” said John.

So what is the challenge for each and every one of us this this Christmas ? 

Perhaps I can use some words from Bishop Michael’s address again  “…The miracle is that the promised King who came on Christmas day still comes today.  You can meet Him by reading your bible.  You can meet Him as Christians gather to break bread and to drink wine together.  You may meet Him through, or even in, another person and, of course, He can and does disclose Himself directly (in many ways)…”

Later in the service we will be meeting God in the Eucharist where, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we believe that God is truly amongst us.  This is one of the fundamental declarations of our faith – which is why the Eucharist or Mass on Christmas Eve is such an important time of worship.

So this Christmas, as we await the remembrance of the coming of God in Christ as a child amongst us, let us all go out as Candles of faith….Candles which can shine the love of Christ amongst all the people with whom we come into contact   …..   in the dark places of our world and in the broken and difficult situations and problems we will come up against   …..  Candles which, although they may flicker from time to time, can never be extinguished – because the love of God is there every step of the way to re-light or nurture our own flame of faith.    

Let us pray

Lighten our darkness lord, we pray, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night and the time to come;  for the love of your only son, our saviour Jesus Chris our Lord, whose birth we celebrate this evening.  ….  So that we might also lighten the darkness of others.

AMEN