Readings:
Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-end;
Psalm 126;
1 Thess 5: 16-24;
John 1: 6-8, 19-28

Collect:
God for whom we watch and wait,
you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of your Son:
give us courage to speak the truth, to hunger for justice,
and to suffer for the cause of right,
with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Reflection - Extraordinary Christmas!

What a year 2020 has been for us all! It has been filled unexpected moments and events that the world has rarely seen because of the pandemic. 

I was walking home from school with my five old twins few back and came across some properties that have put up their Christmas decorations just around middle of November, and my sons asked me when we were going to put up our Christmas decorations. I remember thinking to myself that perhaps there is no need for decoration this year given all that has happened. However, I later reflected on the conversation with my son and I began to realise that our experiences of year 2020 should not take away what the season of Christmas means to us. The more I thought about this, the more I became convinced that we can still have an extraordinary Christmas despite the challenges that we have faced globally this year. I will like to share with us few things that may help us experience Christmas in a new way this year.

1. We experience an extraordinary Christmas when we realize that God still speaks to people. 

Our God has not gone silent. He still speaks to us and Christmas is one way He speaks in a loud and clear fashion. In the story of the birth of Jesus, our God reminds us that He is the best communicator we will ever know. He spoke the world into existence and He spoke again and the Word became flesh. When you listen closely, you can hear the still small voice of our God speaking elegantly and eloquently through the story of Jesus, His life, death and resurrection. Do we have ears to hear? Are we letting the sounds of the commercialized Christmas deafen us to the communication of the real Christmas message

2. We experience an extraordinary Christmas when we realize God still saves people.

His very name "Jesus" means "Saviour". The book of Acts shouts out the affirmation, "that there is no other name under heaven whereby people can be saved". If we think the saving power of Jesus is past tense, then life becomes ordinary but when we hold to the truth that Jesus still saves, then life is transformed into something eternally extraordinary.

Sometime ago, a person of another religious background asked me, "Do you still preach about being born again?". The answer is a resounding yes. It is the heart and soul of the Gospel. The question of needing to be saved is not theoretical or philosophical but personal. We all need Christ, hence we all need to answer the question, "what shall I do with Jesus?". No one can make that decision for us. It is ours to make for ourselves.

3. We experience an extraordinary Christmas when we realize God still stays with His people.           

Immanuel is another name for Jesus, which means, "God is with us". He is always with us. He never leaves us. He never puts a sign in the front of the door, which reads, "out to lunch" or "closed". When you are in the hospital waiting room, awaiting word on the health of a loved one, He is with you. He is right there in the waiting room beside you. When you are in the operating room about to face surgery, He is with you.

When your children disappoint you, He is with you. When your friends betray you, He is with you. When your job or business is in jeopardy, He is with you. When you face the worst and the best moments of your life, He is with you. God stays with us. What a promise! What a God! What an extraordinary way to live! To know that the God who created all things and all people is with us at every moment of our lives makes the christian life a special and extraordinary way to live! Our God is going to do something extraordinary this Christmas season and all throughout our lives. How do I know? I know because He still can still speak to us. He can still save us. He can still stay with us. Now that is extraordinary!

Adedayo Adebiyi