Well? Have we made it? I thought this year, with all our credit crunch worries and recession looming, we might take a step back this year and worry less about presents and shopping and money. And although it seemed to start off slowly, I didn’t see much evidence the other day that anything has taken a back seat this Christmas.

When I was doing my rounds the other day, I found myself passing Bloomfield’s, and Bloomfield’s is about the only place I ever go – I haven’t even been in IKEA yet! So I pulled in and hoped to get a space near the door; not a chance. It was so appalling, I drove right through and came out the other end; I didn’t even stop the car. But there was something specific I was looking for and I knew I would get it there and when I had checked with Lydia that she hadn’t found it on her travels, I thought I had better go back in. Perhaps it was meant to be, because by a miracle there was a place to park, and I bravely went in! I couldn’t get out quickly enough.

It was the only expedition I have managed to do, and I thought about all the traipsing around Christine has had to do over the last while. Everything, as usual, has fallen on her shoulders, and I began to feel awful because I have done nothing to help with these Christmas preparations.

I don’t want to give you a sob story, but when I’m out and about, I have been doing ‘Churchy’ things and I still didn’t get everything done. I know it’s all part of the job, and expectations are high, especially at this time of year, poor Ray Rennix has just had major surgery, and tragically, we had a funeral here this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever been as stretched. Thank goodness for Peter Johnston in the office or else I’d be a basket-case by now.

Since I’ve mentioned Peter, I have to tell you how grateful I am to him. He did say, at the beginning of his ‘Church’ career that if it were up to him, he would have all my work reduced to one day a week (as most people imagine, anyway). But such is life!

But ‘Church’ can be like that. It can kind of consume you, if you let it. I’m going to mention Pat Oswald here, because this Church was decorated so beautifully for Christmas practically single-handedly by Pat – candles, the lot.

And what about Ian the choir – they must have thought about taking up residency here over the last few days and weeks! We are very grateful to them.

We’re not a Hyper Active Church (a HAC), there’s always something going on in some shape or form, but we don’t have dozens of activities and organisations, and although it sometimes concerns me, in a way I’m glad.

Tony Campolo has a chapter in a book of his entitled, ‘How to be involved with your Church without letting it eat you up’. He tells the story (very quickly) of a young vibrant Christian family who had moved in to his Baptist Parish.

He was told of them from the Pastor of the Church they had left hundreds of miles away, and to get round quick to visit them. He arrived at the door and introduced himself; the reaction was something Campolo will never forget.

The man of the house exclaimed to him, “Dear Lord! Is there no escape? Is there no way we can have some peace and time to ourselves? Will there always be somebody out there waiting to get us and swallow us up into a hundred and one church programmes?” the man went on to explain how his last Church had just about destroyed his family – they hardly ever saw each other. They had no sense of togetherness as a family and they were all exhausted. ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ were his thoughts, and Tony Campolo never got inside the house.

I know Christmas is a busy time and it is an exceptional time of the year, but if it is only going to leave us tired, exhausted and fed up, what on earth are we doing? Campolo even says, although we are called to be the Body of Christ, we must defend ourselves from what he calls “Hyperactivism”.

At the end of the day, the worst two things a Church can do, which it does over and over again, are, firstly to forget to say thank you to those tireless workers, and secondly act as if it doesn’t care; to act as if it simply doesn’t care!

There are a lot of hurt people out there, both laiety and clergy who have worked hard for a long time, but they are brushed aside as if the Church doesn’t care.

I sometimes wonder are we reading the same Bible, because if Christmas means anything, it means that God cares.

I hope that in all our cynicism and disillusionment, we will never lose sight of the magic and wonder of Immanuel, God with us.

It is life changing, and I know that if we had our time over again, we would probably do exactly the same, because we know that God cares so much for us that he sent his son into the world to be born in a filthy stable and to die a criminal’s death; just for us. We are the Church. We must make it into a body of believers that nurtures each of its members into the fullness of the stature of Christ. Only then will the Church be empowered to live out Christ’s mission in the world.