Where are you?

Tidmington Carol Service entirely by candlelight and ending with bubbles and nibbles is always a joy; it simply oozes Christmas. This year we wondered which bit of the story might be about us (if you’re a Godly Play storyteller you’ll recognise that question). Here’s what I said:

Where are you in the Christmas story?

As we listen again to those familiar words, which part of it is about you?

Are you the prophet who spots where things have gone wrong and invites people to look again at what might be, or where God might turn up? There are still prophets today – people who draw near to God, and God draws near to them so that they can hear what God might be saying to the world. Prophets are often unpopular though. People often prefer a comfortable life and prophets have uncomfortable things to say about our priorities, about justice, about the way we look at the world or people. If you’re a prophet, you’re welcome in this church, and we’d love to hear what you have to say, even if we don’t find it easy to hear.

Or perhaps you’re Mary? Teetering on the edge of something new and unexpected. Hearing the quiet voice that beckons you one, or the loud scary voice calling you to a new future. Perhaps all that is needed is a yes from you. Mary needed a visit to her older cousin Elizabeth to share her news, to seek her advice, to try and work out what on earth was going on. If you’re Mary, let us be your Elizabeth – we’d love to hear what new plans or unexpected future you might be thinking about.

Of course, you could be Joseph too. He had to say yes as much as Mary did – and though he’s often in the shadows he’s absolutely essential to the plot. Maybe you’re one of those people who has said an important yes to a supporting role. If you’re Joseph, we’d like to say how important you are to us and to God, how being in the shadows of the story is sometimes exactly the place where God can use you.

Or maybe you are in the story of the shepherds. Not because you’re slightly smelly and dressed for cold weather – though you’d be wise to do the warm clothing bit here tonight. If you feel a bit on the edge of things, if you have a job that everyone needs but no one wants to do. If you’re not the one with status or a good pension, or even if actually you’re not very respectable, we’ve got news for you. When God arrived God had to decide who would be the first to hear the news. And it wasn’t the rich or the important. It wasn’t the Lords or the politicians, or the businessmen, it was the ones most people avoided. This baby in the manger was announcing that God was on the margins too.  If you think the world doesn’t value you, hear the good news tonight. 

You are precious to God, unique and important. And it is to people like you that God often comes before the people the world thinks are important even have a clue what’s going on.

But actually you might be one of the magi. A tiny bit weird. Spiritual but not religious. Interested in spirituality but definitely not a churchgoer. A foreigner even. If you’re looking for something and you’re not quite sure what; if you don’t quite fit into the culture of this country or this county – then God has a way of reaching you too. You might find God in strange ways, and through unexpected methods – but God doesn’t much care about that. God just wants to meet with you too. We’d like you to turn up and shake us out of our complacency. Tell us about your discoveries, lead us too into a new way of finding God. We’d love to hear from you.

I wonder where you are in the story? The wonderful thing about this familiar, comforting story is that there is a place in it for everyone. Awkward asker of questions, teetering on the brink of something new. An ordinary kind of a person or someone on the edges. The seeker looking for something you can’t quite define. The story of Christmas is the story of God with Us. God who reaches out to be alongside us whoever and wherever we are.

There’s a place in the Christmas story for everyone, no one is left outside in the cold. We’d love to hear where you are. Really, we would. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in this job it’s that people are fascinating, and their stories are so worth hearing. In the New Year, or earlier if you like, come and tell me where God might be with you in the Christmas story.