The other day I was making cupcakes and trying to get the butter icing to form lovely swirls on the top. I have to say it is not something I’m not very good at. It looked like there had been a butter icing explosion in my kitchen. Someone who would have made a better job ofit was a young man called Tom Smith who in the 1830’s worked in a confectioners shop in London, making all sorts of fancy decorations. Visiting Paris in 1840 he discovered the bon bon, a sugar almond wrapped up in tissue paper. It looked a bit like this. Gradually his bon bon got bigger and bigger as he added more and more things inside and yes I’m sure you know what it became – complete with a snap – A Christmas Cracker. Now inside a cracker you expect to find 3 things, a hat, a gift and a joke or a riddle. We all groan at the jokes but probably the more awful they are the more we enjoy them. And we have those aha moments as the penny drops. Q: When I’m young I’m tall, and when I’m old I’m short. What am I? A: A candle Q. What do you call a bunch of sheep rolling down a hill? A. A lambslide. Q. Why shouldn’t you have a barbeque on a roof?
- Because the steaks would be too high.
… several aha moments there! Crackers originally contained love poems, love messages – Apparently this practice was discontinued because of some embarrassing Christmas dinner incidents suchas when a proclamation of ardent love was received by a 90 year old granny instead of the charming young lady for whom it was it was intended. The hat is generally a crown, a flimsy thing made of tissue paper. Thirdly a good cracker includes a gift of varying usefulness, those miniature screwdrivers are actually quite useful for fixing your glasses and the small sewing kits excellent for popping into your holiday luggage. But some can be downright frustrating like the metal rings you are supposed to be able to separate. So what has the cracker to do with the carols we have been singing tonight? The paper crown is the perfect symbol for a king born in a manger. The very fragility of the paper crown reflects the gentleness of Jesus’ Kingship. And how about this for a riddle? Oh wonder of wonders which none can unfold the Ancient of days is an hour or two old The maker of all things, boundless in might is weak now and helpless, born on this night The gift is the gift from God of a weak and vulnerable baby. In Bethlehem over 2000 years ago was the moment when God broke into our world in a completely new way. God, came to earth as human baby. He didn’t come to a palace heralded with a fanfare of trumpets, he came in poverty, he came in weakness he came in vulnerability. Indeed, like all babies, he came in helplessness. And most people missed this momentous occasion. It was the shepherds who were alerted to his birth by the angels, Shepherds were the outcasts of society, they were filthy, considered untrustworthy, the lowest of the low, if something went missing – you blamed the shepherds, they were not allowed anywhere near the religious places in Bethlehem. Those who recognised Christ’s coming are the shepherds and the magi, then later, John the Baptist, the writers of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and people who were living witnesses to Jesus’ life on earth. As John writes in one of his letters speaking of Jesus, “that which we have seen and heard that our eyes have looked on that our hands have touched, this we declare to you so that you too may believe.” And then there are the millions of Christians through the centuries, and millions of Christians in the world today who declare their faith in Jesus Christ in their lives, in their deaths, in words and deeds. In many places in the world Christians flee persecution, They are being killed for their faith. (Pope Frances) There are more witnesses, more martyrs in the Church today than there were in the first centuries. Jesus didn’t come and grasp political power as many of his followers expected him to. His crown was not of gold and precious jewels. He came in humility so that he could lift up those who were unloved, those who were hurting, those who had no-one to care for them those who were outcasts of society, those living on the edge. And he still comes today to each one of us. Many of us travel a long road on the journey of faith before we understand the truth of Christ’s coming and then we may have an ‘aha’ moment, a moment of realisation as our doubt turns to faith. For others it can be like the snap in the cracker as Christ explodes dramatically into their lives. Either way this baby can fill our lives to overflowing with peace, joy, hope, and the love of God. The love that transforms us, the love that heals us, the love that saves us. Originally the Christmas Cracker carried a message of love. And the message of Christmas is simply that, a message of love. Christina Rossetti wrote the words, Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine, Love was born at Christmas, Star and Angels gave the sign. In the beginning was God, in the beginning was love, because God is love. Tonight we have sung and heard of angel choirs and shepherds, of wandering stargazers, of stables and kings. For some of us this is a story that gives meaning to our whole lives, for some of us it is a story we’re drawn to but have many questions about, and we hesitate to grasp hold of it. We need to give ourselves time and space to receive the simple message that love came down at Christmas. We are all loved with a love that is overwhelming, constant, unending and unconditional. As we celebrate Christmas, may we all feel that love warming our hearts. Amen.
Early Beginnings 