Message

Racing car drivers and procrastinators want the

same drug. It comes from that contradictory

cocktail of excitement and terror. Whilst drivers push

the physics envelope, procrastinators push the limits

of time. As fear of the impending deadline looms,

finally adrenaline seeps sweetly into the system.

Let me illustrate. The greatest rush in the world is not

the French 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Race…

it’s the Westfield Christmas Pressie Dash: 27 presents

in 8 shopping hours. Every year, on Christmas Eve, men

who should never have been licensed as fathers, take

part. And I’m here to tell you it can be done because

I’ve done it more than once. But there’s absolutely no

room for failure.

You absolutely cannot stop moving throughout the

day. And that’s because you cannot – you absolutely

cannot - face your children, or brother, or sisters or

nieces and nephews or your parents… without a

present. ESPECIALLY YOUR CHILDREN! You cannot

tell them you fell down the escalator… yesterday!

That’s not an acceptable explanation!

So, at Christmas, some things are essential. For many

families, that means presents. But there’s an ancient

reason for giving each other presents at Christmas.

It’s in honour of a gift God gave to the whole world

a long time ago. It was the gift of God’s own son,

Jesus Christ. It is essential to our survival. And now

Christmas is that time of year when we remember

his arrival, when angels appeared to shepherds on a

hillside and told them,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this

day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Jesus is the essential part of Christmas. He’s the ‘reason

for the season’. His title, ‘Christ’ is right there at the

beginning of ‘Christmas’. But although he’s essential,

Jesus isn’t always invited. In our distracted, adrenaline

charged world, perhaps you’ve always wondered just

how Jesus fits but you’ve put off finding answers.

If that’s you, then don’t put Jesus off any longer. Take

the time this Christmas to read the Bible and meet

him. You can do this for free online at lots of places

(like biblegateway.com). By typing in Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 you

can read a prophecy given nearly 800 years before

Jesus came. To read about the Virgin Mary becoming

pregnant with Jesus, type in Luke 1:26-38. Then you

could read about Jesus’s birth by typing in Luke 2.

It may not get the adrenaline going like a bungee jump

does, but it’s genuinely exciting news.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus your

precious son Jesus, as a saviour for all mankind.

Bible: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of

great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is

born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the

Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)