Now, This is my Kind of Christmas Story

John1:4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Jane’s Story
Jane(not her real name) came and sat next to me on the train at Piccadilly the day before Christmas Eve (yesterday). I was on my way home feeling extremely tired. Normally I would have been on the straight through train; however, I had tried to beat the system and the weather (and failed). However I had done the same in the morning and had a sense there was God’s hand in things that day and that he wanted me to chat to someone. I was reluctant to chat and had my big headphones on. This was the 23rd of December and this date turned out to be significant in Jane’s story as it came out in bits and pieces in our conversation. Now you will have to forgive me not being entirely accurate as I have not been able to piece the story together 100% from our conversation yesterday, which lasted between Manchester Piccadilly and Bolton stations.

We talked about Christmas being a pressurised time financially, relationally for some people. Jane told me her first husband, now deceased, had suffered all his life from various illnesses including spina bifida. One 23rd of December he was in hospital admissions and Jane was told that he was in such a poor state of health they could not even take him up to ICU, he was ‘bagged up’ with assisted breathing, etc. Some time before this Jane had been a Wiccan ( a kind of pagan belief linked to Celtic ancient beliefs? Possibly involving being a witch?) One time next to her husband’s hospital bed in a previous crisis, she had an impression of God’s voice: ‘what will it take for you to pray to me about this?’. So she did pray and her husband became well again. After this she went to a Christian bookshop and asked if they had a book about prayer. Thankfully the lady said, ‘would you like me to tell you about Jesus?’ And she became Christian. Her husband was dead against Christianity, as was her son. Next her son walking along the road with her one day just blurted out, ‘sorry Jesus for not asking your forgiveness’, then just went off skipping down the road because he was so joyful! His dad was disgusted and said his son had gone over to the, ‘dark side’. Ok back to the 23rd. Things got to the point when the doctor and nurse, ‘called it’ and agreed a time of death. They then started taking the tube out of his mouth, etc. Just then he sat up and started singing ‘Amazing Grace’, and afterward said he had seen Jesus and was now evidently saved! He lived for another eighteen months! NOW THAT’S MY KIND OF CHRISTMAS STORY !!

Prayer
Dear Lord

Thank you that this lady shone the light into her husbands life and into the life of her son. Thank you that you hungered to come to earth and rescue us because you love us so. You also came because it pleased your Father and brought you great joy! Help us to seek the joy that comes from shining the light of Jesus into people's lives!

Woooooooohoooooooo! It really is Christmas and you really did come! Thank you Lord

Amen