I have officiated at three funerals in the last ten days which is more than anyone would normally wish for especially at this time of the year. One person was 87 and another 84 but the third one was only 58. That was a bit closer to home –even more so as he was a big man and in his photos looked not unlike me!

You might be wondering why I’m talking about death when the reason we are gathered here in the middle of the night is to celebrate a birth.

But this was no ordinary birth since it is our belief that the child born in that stable in Bethlehem was none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah.

And with his birth we are reminded of the most important thing about him which was his death and subsequent resurrection.

For some people Christmas is one of the saddest times of the year because they miss loved ones who have died. This is very understandable especially if they don’t have many other members of their family around them.

But although I am suggesting that this birth points directly to a death, it was a death which broke the mould, it was a death which paid the price of sin and opened for us the way to eternal life. And this is the greatest cause of joy that there ever could be.

There are many paradoxes connected with the birth of this child. His birth had been foretold for centuries by the great prophets and he was awaited by all the people and priests of Israel and yet he arrived unexpectedly and virtually unrecognised.

It was believed that he would come to vindicate Israel and enable it to take its place as first among the nations. It was believed that he would inaugurate a new Kingdom and that he would rule the world bringing everyone into the vineyard of the Lord.

However none of these things happened in quite the way that was expected. He certainly did establish Israel as first among the nations, he came from among them and he first preached the Good News to them. Unfortunately the religious authorities rejected him and his message of love.

And the message Christ brought was unlike anything that they had heard before. It was a message of the last first and the first last. It was Good News for the poor and the dispossessed. But it was a distinctly uncomfortable message for the rich and powerful elite of the time.

His was a Gospel of love for the unloved, a Gospel of hope for the hopeless. His Gospel is about the turning of everything upside down, of the substitution of man’s priorities with God’s priorities.

So if tonight is about anything at all it is about us acknowledging the greatness of the Christ Child and seeing in him the source of our salvation.

It involves us recognising in all humility our own sinfulness, our own unworthiness before God, our own need for forgiveness and salvation. And then acknowledging that through the life of this tiny child God has freely given us what we ask for.

This is an act of faith. It is an act of faith in the goodness and infinite mercy of God. And by making this act of faith we are transformed into his true disciples and commissioned to be bearers of this message, this Good News, to all those we encounter in life.

Today truly is a day of joy. A night during which we reaffirm our faith and rededicate ourselves to following Christ’s path of peace. It is a moment of salvation, love and peace. It is a cause for great celebration.

And we celebrate, as people do the world over, by exchanging gifts, by sharing meals and by families coming together in peace and goodwill.

But we celebrate first and foremost with the Liturgy of the Eucharist, by participating in the Sacrifice of the Mass in which heaven and earth are joined in a most special way.

This meal during which we receive the body and blood of Christ is the most appropriate way to celebrate this feast because in it we are united with Christ’s death on the Cross and with his resurrection from the Empty Tomb.

In this mass tonight we celebrate a birth, a death and a resurrection and we rejoice that this tiny infant is indeed the one true Saviour of the World. And that his birth into our world two thousand years ago was the significant event that initiated our salvation.

In this Eucharist then let us praise and thank God for his great work and recommit ourselves to living our lives in imitation of Jesus and serving God in our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

May God bless you all and give you his peace and love this Christmas Day.