Emperors and Angels - Christmas Eve 2006, by the Bishop of Durham, Dr. N.T. Wright

If the story of Christmas leaves you feeling dull and bored, wondering how the birth of a child two millennia ago could possibly affect our lives today, then last night's sermon by NT Wright, an Anglican Bishop, might shake up your perspective.

Here's a short excerpt from the start..

Emperors and Angels
Isaiah 9.2–7; Luke 2.1–20
a sermon at the Midnight Eucharist, Christmas Eve 2006
by the Bishop of Durham, Dr N. T. Wright

Sing a song of Christmas, of emperors and angels;
Sing a song of Christmas, of darkness now past;
Sing a song of starlight, of shepherds and of mangers;
Sing a song of Jesus, of peace come at last.

And don’t we just want it?
[snip]
The Christmas story, like Isaiah’s prophecy, isn’t about an escape from the real world of politics and economics, of empires and taxes and bloodthirsty wars. It’s about God addressing these problems at last, from within, coming into our world – his world! – and shouldering the burden of authority, coming to deal with the problems of evil, of chaos and violence and oppression in all their horrible forms. And only when we look hard at those promises and come to grips with what they really mean are we able to grasp the real comfort and joy that Christmas does truly provide. Otherwise we are purchasing a spurious private comfort at the inflated cost of allowing the rest of the world to continue in its misery.