The evangelist Roger Carswell tells a story of a nativity play at a Barnsley primary school. It was every teacher’s nightmare – one of the lads forgot his lines, but immediately rescued the situation with a stunning piece of improvisation. He peered into the crib and declared; ‘Eee – he looks just like his Dad.’
What a wonderful summary of the Christmas message. The one true Lord and God, who made the world and everyone in it, sent his One and Only Son to save the world that had rebelled against him. The Apostle John in the magisterial opening of his Gospel, often one of the set Christmas readings, described his own experience of witnessing the Father-Son likeness in Jesus – ‘we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1v14). He added: ‘No-one has ever seen God; the Only God (referring to Jesus Christ), who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known’ (John 1v18).
So, the lad from Barnsley was right! He does look just like his Dad.
And it’s worth pondering what a controversial message that is in these days of political correctness. Properly understood, the message of Christmas – that God came down to earth in Jesus Christ – is profoundly counter-cultural.
Political correctness asserts that all faiths are equally valid and that you mustn’t assert the truth of one faith over any of the others. But Christmas dares to assert that God’s Truth has made been known in Jesus Christ and that if we want the one true God, we have to put our trust in his One and Only Son.
Christmas does not merely assert the uniqueness of Christ. Those who say they believe Christianity is a ‘unique revelation’ are saying no more than that there are some features to the Christian faith that are not found in other religions. Every religion or world-view is thus unique in that sense.
What Christmas declares is the exclusive supremacy of Christ. Exclusive not in the sense that he excludes those who come to him – he does not, he saves them - but exclusive in the sense that he has no rival; he is the only way to God the Father and to God’s eternal salvation. As the Apostle Peter put it in his speech to the Sanhedrin in Acts 4: ‘there is salvation in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4v12).
If we want salvation from God’s wrath on sin, the Bethlehem baby, now ruling the universe in glory at the right hand of God, is the One we need to come to – the Son who, in the words of the theologian from Barnsley, looks just like his Dad.
A very happy Christmas to you and your loved Ones,
Julian Mann
Vicar