As we approach Christmas I was reminded of a planning session with Rev. David Chadwick a few years ago. The big idea of the week was to compare two parcels – one beautifully wrapped in colourful paper with an enormous bow and another, very plain, very ordinary parcel, wrapped up with brown paper and string.
The packages became part of David’s sermon that Sunday as he explored how Israel waited for the Messiah to appear in a blaze of glory, or as a warrior King, and yet arrived as a helpless baby.
The infant Jesus was not born in a palace, but in a stable. The King of kings was not dressed in purple but wrapped in swaddling clothes like any other baby of that time. Jesus was in many ways like anyone else even though he was the Son of God .
Jesus was born and raised among the everyday, ordinary people.
The plain parcel took on a different significance…a way to describe Jesus Christ, God’s gift to the world, in very ordinary human ‘packaging’.
While the congregation were listening to the sermon, we had a similar conversation in Children’s Church. As we talked we made a special Christmas decoration to take home:
- We each wrapped up a tiny box in brown paper.
- For string we used a little embroidery thread as this worked with the scale of the box.
- A label was added with a quote from John’s Gospel –
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”John 3:16
4. Finally we added a loop, so that the children could hang it on their tree at home.
The box itself was nothing extraordinary but what happened next was.
As the children and young people said goodbye that day, they also said they would let people know why there was a brown paper package tied up with string among the tinsel, baubles and Christmas tree lights.
In the new year we heard of conversations that took place among friends and family over the holidays. The children and their parents were keen to explain why there was a very different decoration on their tree and how it was a reminder of a very special gift from God, for everyone.
creativerev 