3. What do you think the priest did well to convey the true meaning of Christmas?
What would you have wanted to say about the meaning of Christmas that was not said in the clip?

4. What is most significant about Christmas?
Christmas is the birthday of the arguably the most famous person who has ever lived…
We celebrate Christmas because of the adult that the baby of Bethlehem became.
If Jesus had not lived as he did and died as he did and been raised to life again as he did and been seen by many people after he came alive…we would not be celebrating his birthday.
It is because of historical evidence that we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Without each of those aspects above, I doubt that we would.
without his life of love and truth which revealed the character and purposes of God
without his unjust, undeserved death
without his resurrection from death
without being seen and witnessed by others
….we would not have an evidence-based spirituality to live by.

5. Christians would want to make some claims about the actual birth of Jesus too but these are not easily verified historically.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem….
as predicted by the prophets centuries earlier (350 prophecies)
due to a census required by the Emperor of which caused Joseph to travel from Nazareth to his home town to register
the name of which means “house of bread” – The Bread of Life
as witnessed by shepherds, who were tending the Temple flocks on the Bethlehem hills for the sacrificial lambs, and were the first to see “the lamb of God….”
as announced to by an angel and celebrated by an angel choir
in a cave/an animal shelter where sacrificial lambs were nurtured after birth
wrapped in swaddling cloths for the new-born sacrificial lambs
and was later visited there by Gentile royal advisors/scientists
and the wise ones brought significant gifts

6. This Christmas, will you worship Jesus as the saviour of the world, and your own saviour?
In 2019, are you willing to trust in Jesus and surrender your life to him and to God’s best purposes for you?

7. Church of the Nativity
Bethlehem
A four foot high door

8. Angus Dei - Lamb of God
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.