Anyone opened
any presents yet?
Want to tell
me?
I
have something here. It is toilet paper.
You
may be wondering why I have toilet paper with me at church on Christmas
morning….
The
toilet paper is from ‘who gives a crap’, meaning who cares?
The
company was started by 3 people in 2012, when three young Australians learnt
that 2.3 billion, or 40% of the world’s population, did not have access to a
toilet, and almost 800 children were dying each day because of poor water and
sanitation; they decided to do something about it.
They
started making toilet paper and they donate 50% of the profits to help build
toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.
I
have a roll for each family, my gift to you this Christmas.
Christmas all year long [Luke 2:1-20]
Christmas
morning, and we have heard the story from the Gospel of Luke about the birth of
Jesus and the Angels singing to Shepherds.
I looked back
in my files and I have preached on this passage every Christmas Day since I
arrived three years ago, and more years before that.
Each year we
hear the story, sing the carols and celebrate.
I wonder what
part of this story do you love the most?
•
Is it the story - of an angel appearing to a young woman, asking her to bear
the Christ Child?
•
Is it the story - of a couple, about to become first time parents travelling to
his ancestral town?
•
Is it the story - of angels spreading good news but starting with Fear Not!
•
Is it the story - of shepherds hearing angels and good news in the midst of
their everyday?
what do you need this Christmas?
- Do
you need to hear that Jesus was born out of God’s love for you?
- Do you need to hear that the Good News first went to people who
were outsiders in the society?
- Do you need to hear the angel message of Fear Not, because God is
present?
- Do
you need to hear that Immanuel - God with us, is born for you?
I wonder what Christmas means for the
- 25
million people in the world who are refugees[i]
- 116,000 people in Australia who are homeless[ii]
- just over 3 million people (13.2%) living below the poverty line in
Australia[iii]
- to
the 815 million people worldwide who are undernourished.[iv]
Does anyone
care?
In 1984 there
was a song: Do they know it's
Christmas?[v]
I wonder how
do we know it is Christmas?
Is it because
it is time for turkey and ham, or prawns and pavlova?
Is it because
of Christmas trees and carols?
How do we
know it is Christmas?
If Christmas
is about not being afraid, accepting the that you are loved by God and God is
present with us, always; maybe we can show that love to others.
To people who
are as imperfect as we are.
To people
whose hopes and dreams are fragile
To people who
live in poverty, or are fleeing danger
In Jesus, God
says: I Give a crap, I care,
What does our
life say:
Does it say
we care for all people, or just for ourselves?
Does it say
we are aware of how some have more than is needed while others have not enough
to live with dignity
Do our words
and actions, shopping choices and the way we use our time, tell of Love and
Hope, or greed and self-centredness?
Christmas is
God saying, I love you, with all I am; and I want to be with you always.
May you live
all year, with the love of Christmas.
[i]
https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/resonating-with-christmas-a-story-of-restless-travel-and-seeking-refuge/?fbclid=IwAR2rVxRAAJbDdCVwhqNK8k9ZyUnrphAextiIKuO7NKSWHf80xTOyfknCg0U
[ii]
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/policy/ahuri-briefs/how-homelessness-changed-between-2011-2016?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItfrFody33wIVhTUrCh2Kag2NEAAYASAAEgIaGvD_BwE
[iii]
https://www.acoss.org.au/poverty/
[iv]
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg2
[v]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_They_Know_It%27s_Christmas%3F
