Turkey curry anyone?

It's all over for another year.

All that's left to do now is eat the left overs, pack away the decorations and grumble about the weight we've all put on.  All the fuss and hurry, all the hassle and stress, all the buying of presents and learning new carols has passed.  So the question must be, was it worth it?

In our case I think it was, we had a great Christmas day and a great boxing day.  There was the occasional moment of food based stressed (cremated parsnips anyone?) but overall things went well and we had a lovely time.

Unfortunately that is not going to be the case for everyone, as much as we would like it to be life is not suspended at Christmas.  People still fight and annoy, people still get sick and die, things happen that range from the inconvenient to the tragic. Unfortunately life and death and loneliness don't stop on Christmas day. (If any of you have experienced a Christmas like that and you would like prayer then don't be afraid to email your requests here).

And now the sales.  Everything is reduced, bargains are to be had.  This is the time when people queue for three days outside a shop so to get some cheap white goods or a half price frock.  It is silly season when people spend money they don't have on stuff they don't need just because they are told they are getting a bargain.  As my granny always said, 'It's only a bargain if you need it.'

The Irony is that people seem to quickly forget about the free gift offered to them,  a gift which is backed by a massive advertising campaign at this time of year.  The free gift of eternal life through Jesus.  A proper gift with longevity.  A gift that will never break, or decay, or loose it's shine.  The gift of salvation is there for everyone, for you.  Snap it up.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas



A star will come out of Jacob
Numbers 24:17



Well this is it, the day before the day before Christmas.

I've been banging on about Christmas so much it seems strange that it has actually arrived.  All the preparaions are well underway and excitement has reached fever-pitch.

This is the last post I'm going to write until next Tuesday so I simply want to wish you all a very happy Christmas.  I know for some Christmas can be difficult as you are reminded of people who are not around anymore. But it can also be a time of remarkable joy, of memory making and of refreshment and I hope it is that for you.

To finish for Christmas I thought it would be nice if we all took the opportunity to send a little message to each other even if it's just to say Happy Christmas. If you have anything you'd like prayed for you are of course very welcome to share that either with a comment or, if you'd prefer, by email.

What-ever you do this Christmas and whoever you spend it with I ask you to please take a little time out to remember the Lord Jesus.  He left Heaven to come here to earth so that He might rescue us from sin.  He came to be with us.  There will be a lot going on over the holidays but a quiet moment thinking of, talking to and worshipping this great King will be time well spent.

Have a super Chistmas, have fun, eat lots and be grateful for all you get and then, when it's all over, sleep well.

Happy Christmas,

Phil.

After three: one, two, three...

Last night the wife and I had Christmas dinner with our friend Roger.

It was a traditional meal with all the trimmings.  We had chili, paprika chicken and a pasta dish and to be quite honest it was all delicious.

After dinner we ended up flicking through some tunes off the old computer and somehow began playing the intros game.  You know, the one were you have to be the first to guess the tune.  There was a slight twist as all the tunes were TV themes.

I love stuff like that, I don't care if it doesn't seem very rock 'n' roll.  To me this is the perfect game because if you are good at it - brilliant, if not you can just let on that you have more of a life than the others and what are they watching so much TV for anyway.

One of our number really excelled, suddenly he found his gift.  It seemed almost supernatural, he was guessing TV themes for shows that he had never watched, had never heard of and I'm sure for some of them, didn't even exist.

He was machine gunning the answers out.

"MacGyver"

"The Littlest Hobo"
"Grey's Anatomy"

"Steptoe and Son"

It was endless.  The rest of us just sat is stunned admiration, we were filled with awe and wonder (and after a while maybe even a little fear).

Of course some of the tunes were instantly recognisable and we all were able to join in with the answers and, on occasion, we even sang along.  Now this might sound all very naff to you but lets be honest, who doesn't want to sing along to 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air', or 'Neighbours', or 'Friends'.  It's almost a reflex, an in-build compulsion.

In the midst of all this awesomeness a pattern started to emerge.  We knew a bit of a lot of songs.  We knew the hook or the chorus or the tune, but very few of us new all the words to the songs and on occasion when we were pretty confidently belting out a musically suspect cover version of a popular classic we found ourselves getting the words wrong, words we were convinced we knew perfectly for a couple of decades.

This week we celebrate Christmas and for many it is an intro that we know and love.  We've got this bit of the story down pat.  Little baby born in a manger, Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men, Herod etc etc.  We sing the intro every year, we love to be reminded of happy times when we heard the tune before.

 How many know the rest of the song.  How many know the complete story. A perfect innocent child, born with no sin to live in a world of sin.  A baby born to die.  Born to be punished for the crimes of others, for the crimes of us. Born to save us, born because of His great love for us. God, not somewhere else, not looking on dispassionately; but with us, God with us.

The intro to the Gospel song is a truly beautiful one but the song needs to be heard in full to truly appreciate the beginning. 


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Here's a little treat, something for you to join in with. You know you want too.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas crime

A car was hijacked on the Lisburn Road, Belfast, last night (read the BBC report here).

Clearly this was a very shocking experience for the twenty-five year old driver.  He was punched in the face and thrown out of the car before it was driven off at pace. However it was probably even more shocking for the driver's nine year old sister who the hijakers hadn't spotted in the back seat.  In fact they didn't notice her until after they had backed the car into a wall and driven a distance down the road.  It was only then that they turfed her out of the vehicle.

Is this a modern day commentary on what is happening to Christmas?  The three thieves who took the car certainly could not be described as wise men but lets think about this story.

Christmas has been hijaked by people who are in a hurry.  In a hurry to eat, to have fun, to make money and to spend money.  It seems to me that they have forgotten there is a child at the heart of all this. Not a helpless child but one who would become the Saviour of the world.  A child-King born in a manger.

I fear that at some point the hijakers will remember that child, stop the runaway car-crash that Christmas is becoming and throw Him out of the vehicle altogether.

But them maybe I'm just too grumpy and cynical.

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The 12 Days of Christmas by Reliant K. Enjoy.

You better watch out

Voting has all all but closed on the Santa poll so I thought it might be good to reflect on the whole issue again.

Most of you who voted have gone for the 'He's OK in the right amount' option.  Fair enough.  Over the last wee while I've had some interesting discussions with a number of people about the big fat imaginary lump of a man.  I have been sent video clips and newspaper articles, I have been supported and criticized, and quite frankly I've thoroughly enjoyed it all.

But can any good come of this discussion?  I certainly cannot change the opinion of anyone, I cannot force a parent to unveil Santa as a fraud nor would I want to.   The point of the discussion is simply to recognise the issue and encourage us all to have an opinion on it.  It is not healthy for any of us, least of all Christians to blindly accept cultural norms without running them through our Christian sieve as it were, to test them and ensure they do not force us to compromise what we know to be right.

In all the conversations I've had about Santa in the last month or so I have found no-one who accepts Santa as completely harmless and entirely positive.  The concept of Father Christmas, it seems, is something to be cautious about at the very least.

The fact of the matter is that Santa is present in our culture, we cannot eradicate him and so we need to deal with him.  How you do that is up to you but I urge you sincerely to be very careful with the Santa myth.  Ensure that Jesus remains distinct from him, That Jesus is the be all and end all.  He is the great gift -giver, He is the one that hears prayers, He is the one that brings joy.  It is not good for your family or your kids (whether present or future) if you put yourself in debt and danger just to hold up the pretence  that Santa is capable of delivering every present they want.

Children need real love at Christmas more than they need gifts.  Their family and friends are the ones who can give them that, not a figment of someone else's imagination.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12If you want to read an article by Mark Driscoll on the subject click here (thanks Nic).  you can also watch the most excellent video below (thanks Rick)

Actually?

Last night, as Rathcoole was covered in a layer of icing, the Christmas feeling was starting to hit.

We had some visitors, there was Roger and the Special One and the Special One's Better Half.  Unfortunately one of our number had been detained by Peter Kay but we'll not hold that against him.  After a brief chat about how I had missed the most important part of the Downpatrick Christmas tree saga - the fact that Jedward turned on the lights (thanks to the well-informed Special One's Better Half) - the six of us decided to indulge in all things festive with a film that celebrates the true meaning of the season - Love Actually.

Ah what a heart-warming tale it is. Love, loss, and inevitably, love again.  Staring the annoyingly handsome Hugh Grant, the charmingly handsome Colin Firth, the awkwardly handsome Martin Freeman, the ruggedly handsome Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman.  Not to mention Tiffany from Neighbours, little Keira Knightly and the fabulous Emma Thompson.

This film is set in a perfect world where it doesn't matter if you catch your brother sleeping with your wife or if your gay best friend fancies your bride, or if you're a bumbling Prime Minister who slags off the US president, or if your husband is buying expensive gifts to his secretary or if you are a porn star. It's all OK just as long as you have love, actually.

Despite the cynical, heart-string pulling, implausible storyline, I quite liked it, actually.  It's one of those films that just makes you feel nice inside (in an amoral, whats-the-world-coming-to kind of way).

In a way the message is exactly on track.  It matters not what way you have lived your life because love can conquer all.  But it's not the love of a beautiful woman it's the love of God and your loving response to that love.  That love will quite literally cover a multitude of sins, it is all around us, it must be that love, that love changes everything.

This unique love is a perfect one.  Not marred by betrayal or jealousy or hurt. It's a love of the Holy for the unholy, it's forgiving, redeeming, sanctifying love.  It is miraculous and it is mine.  Maybe it's yours too (you'll understand why I feel this way about it), if it's not and you want it, you can have it.

If you are alone or just lonely, if you are heart-broken or a heart-breaker there is a love that will change your life for ever.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

John 4:10

The Santa Rant

I hate Santa.

You may think that's a little harsh but it is absolutely genuinely true.  I hate Santa.. I love Christmas but I hate Santa.

I bring this up now, on the 26th October to give you a chance. A chance to turn your back on Santa this Christmas.  I know that may seem like a crazy thought and I know that for many parents it is unthinkable but hear me out, maybe I will convince you.

1) Santa steals Christmas from Jesus.  As I have said; I love Christmas.  I love trees and carols and excited kids.  I love spending time with family, buying gifts and I especially love Christmas lights.  Jesus is the light of the world and to see the place lit up like...well like a Christmas tree in massive celebration of His arrival thrills me.  Unfortunately Santa Claus wants the credit for Christmas to go to him and not the Saviour of the world.  Schools, homes and even churches give far to much time to the Santa myth to the point where many children of primary school age see him as the central figure to Christmas.  This is shameful.

2) Santa steals Christmas from families.  Think about it, parents indulge their kids at Christmas.  The buy them more toys than they could ever play with, let them eat all their favourite foods, take them on trips and try to make it as special as possible.  Yes, they do this because of the media pushing materialism and peer pressure (from their kids peers and from their own peers) but the main reason they do this is because they love their kids.  Rightly or wrongly their love for their children is manifested in the act of giving, in many cases sacrificial giving, and who gets the credit - Santa Claus.  'Wow', say the little Kids, 'look what Santa got me, I love Santa! Mum? Dad? What did you get me?'.  Reclaim Christmas for your family tell your kids that Santa doesn't love them but you do.

Everyone loves Santa?

3) There is no reason for Santa.  I can find no conceivable reason for continuing the Santa myth.  There is nothing good about it, nothing.  And don't give me all that 'magical time for kids, let them have their innocent wonderment' nonsense. It is a flat out harmful lie.  If you want your kids to be filled with wonderment at Christmas time, tell them the story of the king of the world who came to be born in a stable.  Tell them about the angels heralding Him in, about the shepherds who came to see His, the wise men who travelled hundreds of miles to worship Him (find the Christmas story here).  Tell them the story of Jesus, tell it accurately and they will be amazed.

There are many other reasons for hating Santa, I just don't have space here but I'm sure you could think of a few.

Christmas does not need a tacky false lie stuck on the end of it to make it a good time.  If you choose to celebrate Christmas do it truthfully and it will be beautiful and love-filled.  Sure your kids might take a week to get their heads round the fact (note the word fact) that Santa is the product of the Coca-cola company, but they had to find that out someday anyway and they'll not care half as much as you think they will.

So here's my advice.  Tell your kids that Santa didn't come through for them, it turns out he doesn't love little boys and girls after all. But they are not to worry because the people who really do love them are here and will make this year truly special by allowing Christmas to be Christmas.

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Maybe you agree with me, maybe you don't, I'd love to hear your point of view. You can also express yourself by voting in the poll in the sidebar.  >>