'She gave birth to a son who ‘will rule all the nations.’ Revelation 12:5
We did it again! I don’t know how many times we’ve seen it, but we did it again today. We, the children at least, acted out the nativity and in doing so retold part of the greatest story in the history of the world. We’ve all seen the nativity, we’ve all been part of it. The wisemen, the shepherds, the angels, the innkeeper, Mary, Joseph, and the wee donkey… and last, but very much not least, the baby Jesus. We saw the traditional figures again this year, though perhaps in your nativity play there were also a few extras; at All Saints’ School Spiderman made an appearance! And yet, even when all the traditional characters have arrived, even when a few characters who definitley weren't there that first Christmas are added in, even then each year we still forget one character. One character always seems to be missed out, which, on reflection, is kind of strange for this character makes sense of the whole affair. I’m talking, of course, about the Dragon. What you've never seen a dragon in a nativity? No, neither have I! However, he really ought to be there.
Let me read to you from the last book of the Bible… strangely enough a reading which never makes an appearance at Christmas.´The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations’. Wow, I’ve never seen that in a nativity! For all the crazy extra characters, I’ve never seen a dragon crouching at the door, watching and waiting for his own version of Christmas dinner. And yet, without that character, without the dragon, Jesus’ birth doesn't fully make sense. Oh it’s nice, the candle-lit stable, the little kids dressed up etc, but why bother telling this story, and telling it every year, surely we could be a bit more creative? And yet add in the dragon, and all of a sudden remembering the birth of this baby starts to make sense. Because you see Jesus came, Jesus was born, to defeat the dragon. Though Jesus wasn't wearing armour that night all those years ago, though he had no sword or shield, when He appeared on earth, Jesus came as a knight, as a warrior, to finally do away with humanity’s greatest enemy, armed only with God’s word in His mouth and God’s love in His heart. This baby came to do battle and—like his ancestor before Him who defeated the giant Goliath—Jesus would win a great victory for God’s people over their number one enemy. No wonder the dragon tried to get in first.
Now, all of a sudden, other parts of the story start to make sense; you see the dragon used Herod to try to get rid of Jesus, just as the dragon had used Pharaoh to try to get rid of Moses. Sadly Herod wasn't the only weapon in the Dragon’s arsenal. The Dragon has all sorts of other clever tricks, war, famine, abuse, and a whole host of other evils in his efforts to take over the world, in his efforts to overcome God’s people… and God wasn't having any of it. Jesus came like a knight on a steed to fight the Dragon and finally allow the world some peace. And though that battle isn't in any nativity play when Jesus grew up He fought that battle on a place called Golgotha and by His cross He defeated the Enemy once and for all. Perhaps the Dragon saw it all coming! Perhaps that’s why he was prowling around the stable on Christmas night. Perhaps he saw his defeat, perhaps he knew that Jesus would only get stronger, and thought his best chance was while the Child was young. But the dragon failed—thank Goodness—and all his plans came to nothing.
However, seeing the Christmas story this way, seeing, as it were, the Dragon in the stable does raise an obvious question. If Jesus —the greatest knight—fought and defeated the Dragon, why has the world not got any better? Well, because while the Dragon was mortally wounded, while one day he will finally die, for now he still flings around, a blast of firey-famine here, a blast of firey-war there. Desperately the Dragon tries to get us to join his side—or at least not fight him—he tries to convince us that the fire he breathes cannot be overcome, that war, famine, disease, and poverty will have the last say. In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite, these fiery blasts are in fact the last gasping breaths of a dying monster. And yet because the Dragon continues to attack, continues to confuse, continues to hurt the world, God’s people are called into battle as well. To battle against a dying monster and to fight to ensure no one else joins his side. That’s why we say our prayers, and read our bibles. That’s why we care for the poor and visit the sick. because we know the end of the story, that good will over come all evil. That’s why we tell the amazing story and sing our beautiful carols about the first Christmas, because we know the truth, the truth that in the end good always defeats evil. The truth that in the end Love always overcomes hatred. That, to quote St Francis who imvented the nativity scene, in the end: ‘All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.' That is why we tell this story, sing this story, and act this story out every year; because in that stable on this night two thousand years ago the baby was born that would finally set us free.
So friends, if you have great Christmas, know it was in part because that baby was born, fought, and overcame the Dragon. But friends, if you are having a hard Christmas—for whatever reason—know that because that baby was born, fought, and overcame the Dragon the darkness you’re going through will come to an end… the darkness simply cannot, it will not, win. Oh, the Dragon was there alright, on that night two thousand years ago… but I guess putting him in the nativity might scare the kids! However, Jesus is in the nativity and more importantly He was in the manger all those years ago and in the end He is all the matters. So, Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year. Amen (from Fr Mike).