Where is He?

Christmas morning talk, taken from 'Getting it Across' by Nick Fawcett, published by Kevin Mayhew.

Preparation:

Fold 8 A4 pieces of paper to make A5 cards. On front of these write the following words in bold letters:

JUDEA
BETHLEHEM
MANGER
STABLE
HOUSE
NAZARETH
JERUSALEM
EGYPT

On inside of each card, write ‘NOT HERE’. Place cards around front of church – where they can be seen.

Prepare 8 A4 pieces of paper wit one of the following written in large letters, E I H H S R E E

Talk:

Ask the congregation if anyone can remember what the wise men asked Herod when they came to Jerusalem? (Where is the one born King of the Jews?) Explain that I want to look at this question today, and I need 8 volunteers to come to the front – get them to hold one of the letters E, I, H, H, S, R, E, E,)

Invite each volunteer in turn to look behind one of the cards to discover where ‘The King of the Jews’ has been born. After each unsuccessful attempt ask the volunteer to display the words inside – NOT HERE. And to stand at the front of the church until all 8 volunteers are standing side by side in a line.

Observe that, despite the volunteers help, you question remains unanswered. Ask the congregation to look again very carefully, and see whether they might have missed something. Allow time for people to think, then line the volunteers up so that the letters pinned on their fronts spell ‘HE IS HERE’.

That’s the answer to our question. Or is it? Well, not quite, for it all depends on what comes after these words. (Position yourself at the end of the line). Is it a question mark (hold up ?) or is it an exclamation mark (hold up !)?

We all know Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea; we all know he was born in a stable and laid in a manger, because there was no room in the inn; we all know his parents came from Nazareth, and that they took Jesus later to Jerusalem; and we probably know that after Jesus’ birth they fled to Egypt to escape Herod.

All that is part of the wonderful Christmas story we know and love so well. But unless there’s another chapter in that story, then all the rest doesn’t finally mean anything. It’s only when Jesus can also be found here in our hearts, in our lives, in each one of us, that Christmas truly comes alive.

Where is the one born King of the Jews? Is he simply here (point to one of the cards) or here (point to one of the volunteers), or here (point to the congregation)? Or can we point to ourselves and say honestly and without hesitation, ‘Here is here!’

That’s the question we need to ask this Christmas, and the answer we need to give.