Discussing Christmas

I’m a preacher and as such I have a responsibility to be contemporary, relevant, orthodox and interesting with my sermons. On top of that they need to be delivered with clarity, pace and where appropriate, humour. They must stimulate the mind, challenge the intellect, stir the emotions and penetrate the heart. It can be quite a task but preaching is one of my greatest joys as well as toughest challenges.

To take my role seriously I must pay attention to theological trends, current affairs and world events as well as keeping an eye on the latest storyline in Eastenders. And my job would not be complete without taking into account times and seasons and Christmas is no exception. For the preacher speaking about the Christmas story is akin to a musician sitting down to write a great love song. You know that no matter how much you plumb it’s depths you can never exhaust the theme. You also realise that like love songs, for the thousands that are written you are only going to hit on a few really great ones. Those great ones set themselves apart through their ability to touch the emotion and open a window on our world that previously felt closed to us. It speaks what we know to be true, but of ourselves could never find the words to explain.

Preparing a Christmas message is like sitting down to write one of those love songs. You know so many have gone before you and many others will follow after you, so what can you bring to the mix? Such thoughts have taxed the minds of many an able preacher over the years, but like those before us we are stirred to rise to the challenge. So how can we discuss and deliver a message on Christmas that carries meaning for today’s world?

Well it’s always going to be tough, but will be made easier by paying attention to the following things:

• Don’t try to be clever
• Don’t’ miss the main point
• Don’t overcomplicate its simplicity
• Don’t reduce its mystery
• Don’t theologise its application
• Don’t sentimentalise its story

Over the next few blogs I will attempt to expand on some of these points, but until then a very merry Christmas to you one and all.