Just A Minute
It seems that most people tend to spend the festival in much the same way every year, and this might have links going back into childhood.
We find comfort in the familiar and we don't find change easy.
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Hide AdOf course for people like me, Christmas is pretty much mapped out and I'm actually rather pleased that it is.
Like most people I like the familiar things of life and I can't really imagine spending Christmas in a vastly different way to the way I always spend it.
The challenge (for me, anyway) is trying to present a well-known story in a fresh and challenging way.
After all, it will be the 15th time that my church has heard me preach about the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem!
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Hide AdIt's good to be challenged, and the Christmas story is a challenging one, with tremendous implications for the way we live.
After all, the heart of the story is about God's love for us - not just words, but actions.
And one of the ways that we can demonstrate our love for him is the way we treat each other.
So do have a very happy Christmas and I hope the story challenges all of us.