CHRISTMAS DAY REFLECTION 2024

By Rev. Dr. Fei Taulealeausumai

What does Christmas mean for you today? Ask around.

• Rubbish bin dump all the bad things of the year into this rubbish bin and clear your heart and mind for the something new and Like I said at last night’s Christmas Eve service, how can Christmas 2024 be different from all the other Christmases you have experienced? If you could pick one thing to throw away into the rubbish bin, what would it be for you?
• On December 8^th we said, “be the light” that we are called to reflect the light of Jesus because Jesus comes to us as the “Light of the world”. This is a Through all the storms in our lives, Jesus lights the way and calms the storms. He is Hope, Peace, Joy and love as we commemorated over the 4 weeks of Advent.

3} Always be prepared to take a bowl of food to someone else who is hungry.

• ea towel – what does this tea towel remind you of, what could it be symbol of? Jesus comes to us as a This towel reminds us to be servants to one another. Humility before greatness.
• Shirt- if you have 2 shirt give one to someone who has This is a reminder to share our plenty with those who are struggling.
• Diar1- Make time to reflect on what is important in life, maybe write a prayer or a poem. Make time for your family and the ones you Remember to take some time for yourself too.

The message of the gospel of the Christ child, of Jesus of Nazareth is that there is hope for all of us. Hope for the weary, hope for the lost, hope for the forgotten, hope for the homeless, the disabled. Hope came alive for the Samaritan woman at the well, trapped in her state of loneliness, the leper amongst the tombs, considered to be a schizophrenic, the paralytic at the pool, waiting desperately to enter the healing waters. All of these, and numerous other biblical characters were excluded from and condemned by society, at a time when they needed the accompaniment of an understanding and caring community the most. These very same people exist here in our communities, they continued to be excluded and condemned by society. We are called to be that understanding and caring person in our community, in our families, to our neighbours.

Jesus’ words and action to these and so many others are always affirming and reassuring; and always pointed to life beyond the misery of the moment.

Jesus’ ministry is always a signpost of hope for the troubled people he encountered then and now; and for those of us struggling to make sense of life’s challenging and troublesome circumstances, Jesus is that beacon of hope at this Christmas time. I suggest that Christmas points to the extraordinary gift of God’s presence in the person of Jesus, who enables us to see differently, to claim possibilities and to live above the fray. To be the example of integrity, justice, love and peace, that is to be the face of Jesus to those who are struggling and without hope.

Christmas is often a time of despair and struggle when the reality of “not being able to provide and give the gifts that the malls seem to be selling or the music seems to be playing out. For many Christmas is a time of loss and death and grief as loved ones just cannot hold on for another day.

The Christmas Carol “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see Thee lie” informs and inspires my convictions concerning hope.

Yet in thy dark street shineth The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in Thee tonight

Christmas is not just for one day, today marks the beginning of the work of Christmas for the rest of the year. Today we are challenged to imagine who is lost, who is hungry, who needs peace in March and April. When the shepherds have gone home, the tinsel and the lights are packed away for another year.

Christmas for us has just begun. Remember to surprise and bring joy to another, to find someplace to offer the song of the angels to someone who is in need not only in December but also in June and whenever.

Howard Thurman puts it this way in his poem “The Work of Christmas” or “I am the light of the world”:

When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and the shepherds have found their way home, The work of Christmas has begun.

To find the lonely and the lost, To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace amongst one another, To make music in the hearts of others.

I pray that this Christmas season will rekindle God’s gift of hope within us and stir us to keep it alive; that the message and meaning of Christmas will resonate with our struggle and search for a life of quality; and that God’s miracle of intervention will meet us at the point of our need. Merry Christmas and God bless. Amen.

Audio of selected readings and reflections

Audio of the complete service