What Christmas is really about

Every December the parish fills with carols, candles, oranges with candles in them and a van with a roof of speakers. All of it points at one thing. Christians believe that at the first Christmas, God came to us: not as a message, not as a feeling, but as a baby born in a shed in an occupied country. C. S. Lewis called it the central event in the history of the earth.

That is a big claim. This page is a short, honest attempt to say what it is and why we think it matters. The details of the nativity are not the point; the person at the centre of it is. You do not have to believe any of it to come to a service. Everyone is welcome, exactly as they are.

A young woman called Mary and her husband Joseph travelled to Bethlehem for a census. There was no room for them, so the baby was born where the animals were kept and laid in a feeding trough. The first people told were shepherds working the night shift on a hillside, who were met by a sky full of angels: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10–11)

Later, wise men from the east followed a star to find the child and knelt before him. That star is the one over this website. Born in a feeding trough and worshipped by kings: from the first night Jesus was both utterly humble and a King.

Even the town has something to say. Bethlehem means "house of bread", and Jesus would later call himself the bread of life, the one who satisfies the hunger that food cannot touch.

Centuries earlier the prophet Isaiah had written, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light," and, "to us a child is born, to us a son is given... and he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:2, 6) The first Christians looked at Jesus and said that was him. John put it most simply: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (John 1:14)

The world is beautiful and it is broken, and so are we. Most of us know that without being told. We hurt the people we love, we cannot fix ourselves, and death waits at the end of it all. The Bible's name for that is sin, and it says the gap it leaves between us and God is real.

Christmas is God's answer. He did not send instructions from a safe distance. He came himself, lived the life we could not live, died on a cross for the wrong we have done, and rose from the dead. Anyone who turns to him and trusts him is forgiven, made new, and given a hope that outlasts death. It is a gift, and it is offered to everyone.

Isaiah's names for the child end with "Prince of Peace". Christmas is the turning point in a long war between good and evil, and the Bible's last book says plainly how it ends: the Lamb wins. Peace in our own hearts, in our families and in the world starts there.

That is why our theme this year is "Jesus, hope for the world". Not hope as wishful thinking, but hope with a name.

Good. So do we. If you would like to explore the big questions of life and faith in a relaxed, friendly setting, the parish runs Alpha: a nine-week course at St Mary's Cogges Church Centre. Each week you watch a short film on one aspect of the Christian faith and then talk it over together. No question is off limits, and nobody will put you on the spot.

The next course's dates are still being set. Register your interest and the office will let you know when it runs, or email the office with any question at all.

If you would rather read something at home first, Alpha's daily Bible reading has a day called "Why Christmas?" from Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, which this page leans on. It is free on the web and as an app.

You could also just come to a service. Beyond Christmas, St Mary's meets every Sunday at 9am, 10.30am and 6.30pm, and St James' South Leigh at 10.30am. Details are at coggesparish.com.