Christmas Tract - How silently...

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The text of the tract is as follows:

What's so silent about Christmas?

Silence should be the last thing that we associate with Christmas
- the tearing of wrappers, the whoops of delight (or dismay)
at their contents, the blaring of the telly, not to mention
the clatter of plates, and the shrieks from the kitchen when
it all goes wrong.

A Noisy Birth

It Seems strange then that silence should be associated with
Christmas, (Silent Night... Holy Night... ) when it must have
been anything but. Anyone who has ever visited a maternity
ward must know that childbirth is anything but quiet! And
the Bible's account of Jesus' birth is full of noise too -
from the joyous singing of the angels lighting up the night
sky, to the traffic of well-wishers and other visitors to
the manger.

No, the arrival of Jesus was a noisy affair - and rightly
so. His coming marked the beginning of the end of God's plan
to put the world right. As the angel said to the bewildered
shepherds: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town
of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the
Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). Christmas is a time to celebrate,
because Jesus came to save us - all of us. That's what the
name 'Jesus' actually means: a saviour or rescuer. he came
to deal once and for all with our sin that separates us from
God.

A Silent Death

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open
his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as
a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open
his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)

Strange as it may seen, the main reason that Jesus was born
into our world, was so that He could die. The verse quoted
above is from a part of the Bible written 600 years before
the first Christmas. It tells of a suffering servant who would
come to be a final sacrifice - to deal with human sin and
wrongdoing, and to turn aside God's wrath against us for the
way we have ruined ourselves, each other and the world He
gave us to care for.

And Jesus fulfilled these words when He died on the first
Good Friday. He was silent before His corrupt accusers, and
suffered in silence as he bore the punishment that you and
I rightly deserve for the way we have rejected God's rightful
rule in our lives.

Silently at Work

When Jesus rose again on that first Easter Day, the final
phase of God's great plan started. He is alive today, and
is at work in the world, reaching out to people in His mercy.
He calls everyone to follow Him and to rely on His death on
the cross to put us into a right relationship with God the
Father. As the Christmas Carol goes: "How silently, how
silently, the wondrous gift is given, So God imparts to human
hearts the blessings of his heaven."

The 'Good News of Great Joy' that the angel promised at Jesus
birth is that God now offers to everyone the free gift of
eternal life - heaven - through Him.

Jesus' Noisy followers

What Jesus came to do was so extraordinary and so wonderful,
that those who have received His forgiveness want to tell
others. It's probably why the person who gave you this little
leaflet gave it to you...

And one of the most hurtful things that can happen to us is
when our love is rejected. Imagine that you had spent a long
time choosing a special Christmas present to give to someone
you cared deeply for. on Christmas morning, they look at the
label to see who it is from, and then throw it, unopened in
the dustbin.

And sadly, this is how many people treat the greatest gift
that is offered to us. God made us and knows us intimately,
with all our failings and weaknesses, and yet He loves us
beyond measure. So much so, in fact, that He sent His son
to die for us. that is why the Bible writers gave their strongest
warnings to those who reject the precious gift God offers
to us in His son.

So the most important thing any of us can do this Christmas
is to accept the gift that God is offering to us. The words
below might help you talk to Him, quietly in your own heart.

A Christmas Prayer

Dear Father in Heaven

Thank you for sending Jesus into the world to die for me.
I'm sorry for pushing you out of your rightful place in my
life. Please forgive me. Please come into my life as my Saviour,
Lord, Teacher and Friend, and help me to live for you from
now on.

Amen