12/12/04 6.00 p.m. Carol service "Truth or tradition?"

It was approaching Christmas and the teacher started the lesson by asking a question. "Who was born in a stable?". Little James' hand shot up, which was unusual. The teacher decided to encourage him and picked him from the sea of waving hands. "Yes, James, who was born in a stable ?". "Red Rum, Miss" came the reply.

Such a situation may have an element of truth in it today, as children are often told more about Santa Claus and receiving presents than the one whose birth we celebrate. Jesus.

Yet we must not think that we know everything about the Christmas story. Some things that we may think are true may owe more to tradition.

The tradition of celebrating Christmas on December 25th goes back to the time when the church decided to 'Christianise' the old, pagan midwinter festival. Perhaps things are turning full circle today, so 'Christ' is left out of 'Christmas'.

Nearly twelve years ago, I was privileged to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We were told that the weather would be mild, and that when we went in the Dead Sea it would be positively warm. There had been a drought for over a year. The day we landed in Israel it rained. It rained, to some degree or other for every one of the 10 days of our trip. The Dead Sea was, shall we say, bracing, rather than warm. However, it was not cold. Certainly not cold enough for the rain to become snow.

The adoption of the midwinter festival inspired hymn writers and others to paint a picture of Christ being born 'in the bleak midwinter'. He may well not have been born on December 25th but, even if he was, the weather conditions probably were not that cold. If they were that bad the shepherds would not have been in the fields at night with their sheep . They would have been indoors, and brought out during the day to graze.

We may think that Jesus was born in A.D. 0. But the mathematician, DionysiusExiguus, who calculated this in 527 A.D. made a mistake. We know that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, and he died in 4 B.C. We also know that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of a census, and there was one recorded in 8 B.C. So Jesus was actually born between 8 and 4 B.C.

Of course, the Bible does not tell us how many wise men there were. Only that there were 3 gifts ( Matthew 2:11). There could have been four wise men, and the two from Scotland could have clubbed together to buy the one gift ( sorry Scots ) !

Many of us have an image of Mary and Joseph alone in a stable for the birth of Jesus. However, this may not be what happened. When they travelled to Bethlehem for the census Joseph and Mary were going there because it was his family home. Just as Norwich is still my family home. I have a number of relations, including my parents, who live there today.

From the gospels we know that there were some relatives living in the Bethlehem area. Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist lived nearby in Judea. Mary's visit to them is recorded in Luke 1:39-45.

There was probably a family home in Bethlehem itself with married children living with, or very close to their father and mother. Such homes would have a number of floors. An upper floor would feature a guest room, the lower room or cellar would be used as a storeroom and stable. The heat from the animals would rise to help warm the upper floors. In some circumstances the stable would be a cave underneath the house. When I visited Israel we went into such a cave and held a communion service there.

So Jesus could well have been born in the stable of the family home in Bethlehem.

Ah, you are thinking, but Luke 2:7 says that Mary "wrapped him in cloths and placed him in the manger, because there was no room at the inn."

The Greek word 'katalyma', translated 'inn' is not the most common Greek word for inn. 'Pandacheion' is. This is the word used to describe the inn where the good Samaritan took the Jew who had been robbed.

'Katalyma' can mean 'inn' sometimes, but more often means 'guest room'. It is the word used to describe the room that Jesus and his disciples were in when they had the Last Supper. So, it would make sense to understand that Mary and Joseph arrived at the family home, and there was no room in the guest room, so they went downstairs to the stable. There Mary could have been assisted with the birth by her female relatives. Upstairs the men probably encouraged a nervous Joseph with their own stories of children and child-birth !

That Jesus was born in the stable of a house, and not an inn, is supported by Matthew's gospel which ( 2:11 ) refers to the wise men coming to "the house". The Greek word for 'house' can only be translated that way.

I don't know what you are thinking right now. Perhaps shock, surprise, even disbelief. The first time I read of this I was uncertain, then blew the dust off my Greek New Testament and Lexicon to see if it was true!

What can we learn from this discovery? First of all it may be an interesting conversation starter when things get dull at a Christmas party to say : "Did you know that Jesus may not have been born in the stable of an inn?"

Secondly, and more seriously, it can lead us to the conclusion that the birth of Jesus was a family occasion. Not the isolated bleak picture of Mary and Joseph, desperately searching for accommodation, then being alone in a overflowing inn, with an icy wind numbing the shepherds' hands. So our family occasions this Christmas may have more in common with that first Christmas than we think.

Finally, we can ask ourselves "What are we left with?". Truth or tradition ?

The truth is that God has broken into human history through the birth of this baby Jesus. We have sung " he came down from earth to heaven, who is God and Lord of all;" and "veiled in flesh the Godhead see ! Hail the incarnate Deity !"

The Theologian Jim Packer wrote : "The divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child... The more you think about is, the more staggering it gets."

A Vicar asked the children in Sunday Church what difference it would make if Jesus had never been born. There were the expected answers - no Christmas tree, no presents, no carols, no nativity play and so on. Afterwards a ten year old sidled up to the Vicar and said : "If Jesus hadn't been born you'd be out of a job !"

Ignoring redundant clergy, what difference would it make to your life if Jesus had never been born? Do we know the truth of the gospel, that he came down from heaven, in order that we might ascend to heaven. That he who never did anything wrong took the punishment for everything that we have ever done wrong so that we might be forgiven. Free to become new people in God's sight.

"Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die; born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth."

Jesus was born to die so that we may not have to die. To be separated from God by our wrongdoing. He was born to give us life, forgiveness, a new start, a second birth in God's eyes.

Have you taken the gift that God offers us in Jesus ? Have you unwrapped the present ? Discovered who he is, what he has done for you and can do for you ?

Or is God's present to you sitting there, taken out each Christmas, dusted, admired and put back again ? Are you more interested in tradition than truth ?

If you have trusted the Lord Jesus with your life rejoice this Christmas. Just as the angels did that first Christmas. Be amazed like the shepherds. Bow down and worship him like the wise men.

If you haven't made that step you can do so tonight. Pray prayer later ?

Or you can take the opportunity to find out more about Jesus and the Christian faith through the "Alpha Courses" that is starting next month. This is a free, ten week free course that enables people to find out more about the Christian faith. To examine the evidence about Jesus' life, death and resurrection. To discover that Christianity is relevant to our lives today. The course is free. Meetings are informal, usually in someone' home, with a video and discussion with no strings and no obligation. If you are interested you can come along to an introductory meeting during the week commencing 9th January 2005. This will include watching a video of a talk " Boring, Untrue, Irrelevant?" by Nicky Gumbel of Holy Trinity Church, Brompton - who will be the speaker on all the Alpha videos.

Response cards were given with your service and carol sheets. You will see that we will try to hold the course at a time and day to suit you. If you would like to come please fill them in and give them to me tonight, or deliver them to the box in St. Martin's church or through my letterbox.

As a step forward in the Christian faith, there may be some people here tonight who would like to say a prayer of commitment to Jesus.

Pray prayer, one line after another.

Lord Jesus,

I admit that I have fallen short of your perfect will for me

I want to turn away from everything I know to be wrong

thank you for coming to earth

thank you for receiving the punishment for everything I have ever done wrong

thank you for the gift of forgiveness and new life

gratefully I receive your gift

and ask you to come and live within me my your Holy Spirit

Thank you Lord Jesus . Amen.

If prayed prayer - see me

If want to know more, Alpha - see me.

And may I take opportunity to pray that you will know more and more of God's love in your lives this Christmas, and in 2005.