There is, as you probably realized a deeper meaning to the phrase above. The story of Christmas, which we celebrate each year, is a continuing reminder of the goodness of God. As far as I can discover, there,is,no other religion which has anything like it. In the multitudes of religious ideas which can be found around the world there is nothing which comes anywhere near the message of Christmas, that God loved us so much that He gave up His only Son!

The closest is possibly in some of the legends of Krishna, one of the 33,000 gods of Hinduism. There are some stories of Krishna appearing in several different human forms at different points of history . But these are presented in very fanciful terms, and are nothing like the very down-to-earth account of a baby placed in a manger and being visited by humble Jewish shepherds and wealthy gentle wise men.

However, the ultimate meaning of Christmas is not to be found in the events themselves, but in the eventual outcome of those events. The fact that the immortal, omnipotent God sbou1d take on :human flesh, should constrain himself to the limits of our human existence is amazing enough in itself. As Paul says to the Philippians, Jesus "emptied himself and took the very nature of a servant". The incarnation, God's entry into human flesh, remains one of the great and awesome pillars of our faith.

The most astounding part of the whole story is that the incarnation was not an end in itself, but simply a necessary precursor to the climax of God's sacrifice, the abandonment of His Son to a cruel death on the cross. Unlike almost anyone else in human history, Jesus was born to die. The ultimate purpose of his life was not his many good works he performed, or even in the followers he trained, but in the sacrifice of his own life on the cross.

As the angel told Joseph, the baby was to be named "Jesus" (which means "The Lord Saves") because he would "save his people from their sins". The shepherds were also told by an angel that the baby born in Bethlehem was, a "Saviour". As any well-taught Jew would know, the only way that sins could be forgiven was through the shedding of blood. As the writer to the Hebrews points out "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)

The only way that Jesus could fulfil his destiny was through his sacrificial death. In fact, he himself said that he came "to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) Christmas, then, is a reminder of the wonderful goodness of God, and his love for us in giving up his treasured Son to pay the price of my sin and yours.

It is true that when we look at the world around us, there are many things that might cause us to question the goodness of God. The terrible persecutions and slaughter of Christians in the Maluka Island of Indonesia, the continuing genocide of Christians in the Sudan, and the ongoing loss of life in Israel and

Palestine have all marred this past year. Closer to home there has been both drought and terrible floods that have caused hardship and suffering to many. But then comes Christmas, and we are reminded again that no matter how bad our personal circumstances may be, God loves us so much that He gave Up His only Son. No other religious teaching proclaims such a good God.

The tragedy is that so much popular celebration of the Christmas season seems to totally overlook this aspect of the Christmas message. The values we impart to our children seem to be much more focussed on material possessions than on the goodness and kindness of God. Even where the events of the Nativity are rehearsed there is seldom any reflection on what this tells us about God, and its meaning for our lives.

In this post-Christian, post-Modern world in which our children are growing up there is a disturbing lack of "goodness". The ultimate value for many seems to be the enjoyment of the present moment, regardless of the consequences tomorrow. Many young people are growing up without a sense that anyone really cares for them at a deep level. They do not have a strong sense of self-worth, that their life matters to anyone except themselves.

But Christmas comes to remind us that there is a good God, who loves us desperately. May we all know him better this year.