This year as we journey toward Christmas we are looking at Christmas from different angles. Our theme is It’s all about the presence. Yes I know. It’s a fun play on words. But it should get us thinking a bit. We live in a world that thinks Christmas is all about the presents when in actuality they’re just a few letters off! So if Christmas is all about the presence, can we have Christmas without all of the normal stuff?

As I was preparing for the message this past Sunday (see below), I was struck with the curious thought. Can we have Christmas without the tree? That’s an easy one! Of course we can. What about without the gifts and even the family gatherings? It might be a bit harder to agree with this one but yes we can have Christmas even without gifts and packages. Then things got a little more difficult. Can we have Christmas without the story in Luke 2? If you’re not familiar with the Luke 2 story, you should read it. It’s the account of the birth of Jesus. So can we still celebrate Christmas without shepherds and angels and wisemen and Mary and animals in a stable?

In this message, we talk about another account of the Christmas story that’s not found in Luke or Matthew or Mark. It’s the one found in John’s gospel. If you read the last post about Why was Jesus called the word then you’re already partly there.

I would propose that we have another version of the same Christmas story right here in John 1. It’s not as flashy or miraculous sounding. Doesn’t sound like it’s worthy of trees and ornaments and even gifts. But this account is all about the real meaning of Christmas – the presence!