The Bible tells us from cover to cover that we are valued as individuals. In fact we are worth so much to God that we are priceless.

It is precisely for this reason that God gave us His Son and revealed himself in a human life and so at Christmas time we celebrate the Incarnation which means God with Us.

And He comes to us in this way not because he thought we might like to have a party(even though parties are very nice) nor did he come to encourage the giving and receiving of presents and the brightening up of cold December days. No, he came primarily to save us from our sins and the folly of ignoring God in our lives.

Listen to the most important verse in the whole of Scripture, 'For God so loved the world (you and I) that he gave us his only Son that whosoever believes in him may not die but have eternal life' John Ch 3 v16

Every year at this time I love to hear the poem written by John Betjeman simply titled ‘Christmas’. Here are some verses from it

And is it true? and is it true

the most tremendous tale of all

Seen in a stained glass window's hue

A baby in an ox's stall

The maker of the stars and sea

Became a child on earth for me

And is it true? For if it is

No loving fingers tying strings

Around those tissued fripperies

the sweet and silly Christmas things

bath salts and inexpensive scent

And hideous tie so kindly meant

No love that in a family dwells

No carolling in frosty air

Nor all the steeple shaking bells

Can with this single truth compare

That God was Man in Palestine

And lives today in bread and wine

Betjeman asks the question ‘And is it true’?

If it is true then it has tremendous significance for us all.

CS Lewis pointed out that 'A man who was merely a man and said and did the kind of things that Jesus said and did would be either insane or the devil himself. When you look at the evidence you cannot say he was insane or evil. The weight of his teaching, his works, his character, his fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and his conquest of death which as a matter of fact the former Chief Justice of England Lord Darling said after examining the evidence that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection is true.

The fact that 2000 years after his birth in a pathetic stable in Palestine 2 billion people on the planet profess to follow him led CS Lewis to conclude 'However terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that Jesus was and is God.’

And is it true

The most significant tale of all

Seen in a stained glass window's hue

A baby in an ox's stall

The Maker of the stars and sea

Became a child on earth for me.

Amen