Plus, here's some stuff you're welcome to rip off if you like...
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Gethsemane:
Here's an idea for an all-age sermon / school assembly. It's a game of pass the parcel where the parcel is a poisoned cup. There's a song to go with it:
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Also for Maundy Sunday, I love this setting of When You Prayed Beneath the Trees.
Forget the singer, Christopher Idle's song's in my top 5 all time hymns.
Cross
Seed Song (Jesus is the Seed who dies and rises to bring life)
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Resurrection
Firstfruits
Easter Morn (the song that became 'Firstfruits' - no round)
A few years ago a man came to the prayer centre where I work in great turmoil. He said “I invited Jesus into my heart 10 years ago and I think I meant it and I think I felt His presence. But I don’t feel His presence any more. I think I’ve finally quenched the Spirit through my sins and now He’s left me.”
The guy seemed to know his bible very well. So I said “Can you think of any verses that talk about 'inviting Jesus into your heart'?”
He thought and said “No, I don't think I can.” (I mean there is stuff about Jesus coming to live in us (e.g. John 14:17) but that's not really the same thing). So I said to him, "You know what is in the bible...?" We spoke of the High Priest’s clothing in Exodus 28 and 29.
"Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel in the order of their birth--six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD...."Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD. (Exodus 28:9-29)
"Here's the bottom line" I said “Christ, your High Priest has you on His heart. My feelings go up and down. Christ stays up – all the time. And you’ll only feel Him in your heart (sporadically) when you know you’re on His heart, forever."
The centre of the Christian life is not your personal relationship with God. The centre of the Christian life is Christ’s personal relationship with God. But the good news is - Christ includes you in His communion.
Please feel free to download and use the video wherever you like (but don't charge for it!). Remember, there's also Christmas in Dark Places - our 3 minute spoken word video from last week.
Be aware that there's also a great kinetic typography version of Santa vs Jesus produced by 10ofthose - that might be more appropriate for your context.
And the words to the poem are below. Feel free to quote the poem if you want, just don't change it. If you feel like changing it, that means you're a poet and should write your own. Go to it!
They say there’s a big man who lives far away,
Supposedly jolly but it’s hard to say.
I’ve never seen him, and neither have you.
But the children believe, whether or not it's true.
He’s known as a loner, with many a quirk
No time for a chat, he’s embroiled in his work
He keeps to himself, for most of the year,
I reckon we’re grateful he doesn’t appear.
We send him requests, for particular needs,
But we never hear back, who knows if he heeds?
We try to be good, give his arm a twist,
To merit our place on his blessed little list.
And maybe one day if we do what we should,
He’ll give us our things, so long as we’re good.
I’ve had it to here, I’m calling his bluff:
He’s a weird moralistic dispenser of stuff!
Granted, this rant is a strange one to pick
But listen I’m not really after St Nick
As strange as he is, and Santa is odd,
I’m really addressing most folks’ view of God.
It’s God who we see as a distant Big Guy –
An ancient, invisible, St Nick in the Sky.
“He’s sees you asleep, He knows when you wake
He’s watching and waiting to spot your mistake.”
And just like with Santa, requests we hand in,
We want all his things but we don’t want him.
That’s our connection with old Father Christmas.
We might dress it up, it’s essentially business.
Throughout the year, good behaviour’s our onus
When Christmas rolls round we’re expecting our bonus.
“Just leave us the gifts Nick, we’ve been good enough!
And then please push on, now we’ve got all your stuff!”
I mean Santa is interesting, curious, quirky
But no-one wants him to share their Turkey!
I’m sure his “ho, ho, hos” are sublime,
But I fear what he’ll say once he’s drunk our mulled wine.
That’s old St Nick, but the picture rings true,
It’s how we imagine what God is like too.
But Christmas resounds with a stunning “Not so!”
The One from on high was born down below.
To a world in need He did not send another.
God the Son became God our Brother.
He drew alongside, forever to dwell,
Our God in the flesh, Immanuel.
This God in the Manger uproots all our notions:
A heavenly stooping, divine demotion.
Born in a stable, wriggling on straw,
Fully committed to life in the raw.
Santa gives things and then goes away.
Jesus shows up, to befriend and to stay.
Santa rewards those with good behaviour.
Jesus comes near to the broken as Saviour.
If you don’t like God, I think I know why…
You probably think He’s St Nick in the Sky.
You’re right to reject that far-away stranger!
This Christmas look down to the God in the manger.
Big thanks to Sam at Cinematic Tide for the video and Josh Lucas for the music. On the page the poem is very unimpressive, but they've brought it to life incredibly!
We're hoping and praying to reach many non-Christians through Youtube/Facebook/Twitter. To that end we have a landing page for follow-up where we offer a free book and a free online evangelistic course (321). Currently there are a few things wrong with the page, so I'm not mega-pushing the video. Once we fix the landing page we'll be blitzing social media. Feel free to do the same! And please pray that folks would encounter Christ through the video and follow-up.
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WORDS
It used to be summer when Christmas came round,
Neath tall southern skies, over sun-scorched ground,
With the backyard cricket, the barbies, the beach,
And munching on mangoes to watch the Queen's Speech.
The slatherings of sunscreen, the glorious glare
And toasting the glow in the warm evening air.
It used to be summer... when I was young.
A golden age in a land far flung.
But there came a point, I crossed a divide,
Went up in the world and summer had died.
December is dark now, the nights close in,
So we huddle together as kith and as kin.
It's winter now when Christmas rolls round,
We celebrate still though with different surrounds.
We mull the wine and strike the matches,
Light the fires, batten the hatches,
Gather around the warming beam
Of family love or a TV screen.
So safe inside, no place to go,
We toast marshmallows and let it snow.
Our summer's gone, if you've been around,
you've felt the fall: life’s run aground.
We've gone up in the world, seen summer die.
So what's our hope? The dark defy?
Stoke the hearth? Retreat indoors?
Rug up warm with you and yours?
The shadow reaches even here,
But THIS is the place for Christmas cheer.
It’s dark, in the bible, when Christmas is spoken.
Always a bolt from the blue for the broken.
It’s the valley of shadow, the land of the dead,
It’s, “No place in the inn,” so He stoops to the shed.
He's born to the shameful, bends to the weak,
becomes the lowly: the God who can’t speak!
And yet, what a Word, this Saviour who comes,
Our dismal, abysmal depths He plumbs.
Through crib and then cross, to compass our life.
To carry and conquer. Our Brother in strife.
He became what we are: our failures He shouldered,
To bring us to His life: forever enfolded.
He took on our frailty, He took on all-comers,
To turn all our winters to glorious summers.
It’s Christmas now... whatever the weather,
Some soak in the sun, some huddle together.
But fair days or foul, our plight He embraces.
Real Christmas can shine in the darkest of places.
This is basically a child-friendly version of "O Come O Come Immanuel" the way Johnny Cash might do it.
CHORUS - THE PEOPLE SING:
How long O Lord till Christmas
How long till Jesus appears.
I know my Saviour, He's coming,
Pass on this hope throughout the years.
VERSE 1: GOD THE FATHER SINGS
Gonna give my Son to the human race
Gonna bring them back into my grace x3
Pass on this hope throughout the years
VERSE 2: GOD THE SON SINGS:
Gonna crush that snake, Gonna stomp his head
Though he strike my heel, Gonna kill him dead x3
Pass on this hope throughout the years
VERSE 3: GOD THE SPIRIT SINGS
Gotta wait for Him through thick and thin,
Gotta set your hope on the Coming King x3
Pass on this hope throughout the years
ALL TOGETHER:
Gonna give my Son to the human race
Gonna bring them back into my grace.
Gonna crush that snake, Gonna stomp his head
Though he strike my heal, Gonna kill him dead.
Gotta wait for Him through thick and thin,
Gotta set your hope on the Coming King
Ok, quick help needed. We've just filmed a reflective spoken word for Christmas. It's about Christmas in dark places. At the beginning we're thinking of displaying a couple of statistics to show that Christmas can be tough. Which should we use:
This year 500 000 UK families lost someone.
On Christmas Day, 250,000 elderly Britons will be alone...
In the UK, 80 000 children will be homeless at Christmas.
Post-Christmas is the busiest time for divorce lawyers.
“Sandy Hook”
“Boxing Day Tsunami”
Any others?
We can only use 2, three at most.
And also, should it be called "Christmas in the dark" or "Christmas in dark places"?
Something else?
Your help will be gratefully received and stay tuned for the video. It'll be out very soon!
