"A CHRISTMAS DREAM"

Text John 1:1-14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I've never shared a dream in sermon before. It's a Christmas dream. I dreamt about God preparing for his journey to earth as the Babe of Bethlehem. He was standing before his clothes cupboard. It stretched from where he was to way over where he wasn't, which is a very, very long way. God was scratched his head, wondering what he should wear.

His heavenly attendant, helpfully pulled out the a myriad of angel's suit. "Look this one would be sure to impress everyone," he said.

God shook his head and said, "Yeah you're right it would, so what else is there?"

The attendant dusted off, and then held up the burning bush.

"That old one!" said God, "No, it's too tight and hot, besides this time I want to move around and really get to know people."

"Well there's always this one," suggested the attendant who looked quite odd standing there with both arms outstretched.

"I haven't got time to play around," said God.

But this is your invisible suit." said the attendant.

"Aww, sorry" said God, "but anyway, it's dirty."

Just then in rushed the divine tailor with his latest creation.

"You're going to love this," he cried excitedly. "Simply an inspiration!" He held a plain white robe, in the style of a Roman toga, but it was covered with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and few other valuable gem stones. And right in the front there was a huge flashing neon sign that said, "I'm God and I'm here."

God's looked surprised.

"Try it on, try it on", said the tailor excitedly as he began to pull at God's clothes.

As he slowly undressed, God noticed a little lose thread on the new robe, and helpfully tugged it as only God could.

Without warning, all the gems stones and even the flashing neon sign fell to the floor.

The tailor also fell to the floor on his knees completely distraught. He grabbed at the gemstones, gathering them together wailing at how easily his robe fit for a God could have been destroyed so easily.

God still undressing, apologised for his clumsiness, and in an attempt to make his tailor feel happier, said, "Really, it's fine, I like it. I'll take it with me and wear it everywhere. Look I'm putting it in my suitcase right now."

"But now it's only a boring robe," said the tailor, "And what about all these wonderful jewels. And what am I going to do with this sign? Look it's still flashing."

Tell you what," said God, "Just hang it up over there for a while, no a bit to the right, just over Bethlehem. See if you can stick some of the jewels there too. That'lll look great.

God, who had continued to undress for the fitting, was by now, completely naked. "Well," he said, I'm off."

He was almost out the door when both the attendant and tailor smiled at one another and said, "Haven't you forgotten something?"

"No," said God, "its taken quite a few hundred years but now everything is ready."

"But you're naked," said the attendant.

"You're not wearing anything," said the tailor, "You're starkers, stripped of everything that makes you God,"

"Yes" said God.

"They'll laugh!"

"Yes" said God.

"They won't take you seriously"

"Yes," said God

"You'll get arrested."

"Yes" said God.

"You're not serious?"

"Yes" said God.

"But you can't", they both screamed, "it's a scandal... stop him, you can't go like that."

But he did, didn't he! Stripped of all the outward trappings of his glory and heavenly origins, he came as a baby, born in a stable. And that's exactly the miracle we celebrate at Christmas. A God who still wants to comes into our lives each day, not clothed in all his powerful, divine glory, but still only in his simple, stark, naked love. You and I may long to see and experience the glory, but it's only through the marvellous, naked love of God that's we simple human beings get to discover who God really is.

God, you want so much to come into our hearts and lives, come again and again with the love we need so much. But also open our eyes so that we might not miss seeing you when you come, especially when you come clothed in need, asking for us to respond with the same love with which you first loved us.

© Copyright Keith Stiller