I was told the story of a little girl, a Muslim refugee from the middle east. At school, she was asked to write something about religion. She wrote very well about Islam, but was puzzled by Christianity and Christmas. So she wrote, "At Christmas, the people worship Father Christmas, but there is no religion in it."
It is easy to see why she wrote this - after all, Christmas in Australia is a very commercialised affair, and the image of Father Christmas is everywhere. People line up in huge queues to see Father Christmas and to sit on his knee, and almost every child in Australia is expecting Father Christmas to bring a gift. That little Muslim girl simply wrote what she saw.
For Christians, though, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, who is God come to live among us in human form. And although we try hard, and put Nativity scenes in shopping centres and outside our churches, the image of the baby born in a stable at Bethlehem is not as well known as that of Father Christmas. And I am sorry that this is the case. I am sorry that the old pagan spirit of the midwinter feast is more to be seen than the living God of all that is.
But I don't want to throw out old Father Christmas, he stands for generosity, and giving and good fun and good company and those dreadful jokes you get in Christmas crackers. And I think one of the most important things about him is the question he asks. "What do you want for Christmas?" Every child, and most adults are asked this question several times in the lead up to Christmas. An easy question, perhaps, but we can give all sorts of answers. So I suggest that when you have some time, you ask yourself what you really want for Christmas and write your answer down, then cross it out and ask again. Repeat this until you know you have reached the truth.
Some answers we can cross out because they are not realistic, things like a million dollars, or thirty tons of chocolate. Some we can cross out because we know that they are not possible, the restoration of a relationship, or the curing of a cancer. Others are simply too big - take for example the song of the angels - peace on earth, goodwill to all people - what a wonderful gift that would be, and if we think of all the anger, hate, violence and despair in the world, peace and goodwill might be exactly what we need - but it is really too big for us to ask for, and I don't think we'd know what to do with it when we received it. So we cross it out - not because it is a bad answer - it is simply not one we can cope with. So what do you want for Christmas? What is it, in your heart of hearts, in your innermost being, that you really wish for? Something that you really need - something that you can really use - something which will last - something which you will always value - something which you know will fulfil us completely. The perfect Christmas present.
I would be more than surprised if any of us here could name that present immediately - its something to think about deeply.
However, because we are Christians, because we believe in God, the creator of all that is, we can turn to God for an answer. After all, didn't we begin this service by saying, "Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden…"? So if God knows our most hidden needs, surely we can trust God to give us a perfect Christmas present?
And you all know what I am going to say next - of course - Jesus Christ is that perfect Christmas present. And you might say to yourself, "Why am I not surprised?" - after all, the prophets and wise people of the Old Testament were proclaiming the message three thousand years ago, and the church has been declaring it for two thousand years.
But what is surprising is that the present is still as new and as fresh now as it was then - Jesus the Christ is newly given to each one of us every year - all we need to do is unpack the gift and enjoy it. And this, praise God, will take us a lifetime. There is always more to unpack and to discover in this wonderful gift. For instance, we can start with the gift of life itself, the puzzle of existence, the miracle of thought. We can rejoice in relationships, parent and child, the love that can bring together shepherds and kings. The wonder of the human body as it grows, the beauty of the universe, of stars and light, of earth and darkness.
And this is just the beginning - we can marvel at God's loving action in the world, the power which sustains all creation, the thought which guides it, the promises which are ours to keep and to enjoy.
And we can go on unwrapping God's present, coming to the mystery of salvation and what it means to be saved. We can find what happens when Christ dies on the cross, what the Resurrection does to us, until we come at last to the greatest challenge to our existence - death and what lies beyond.
Now I know that this Christmas I will be surrounded by lovely people, friends and relatives, and I will be given some very precious gifts to treasure all my life. But at the same I know that the greatest gift I have is the gift of Jesus Christ, and a community of faith - this church - where we can meet together, enjoy the gift together, puzzle over it together and help one another to unwrap it. This is the only way Christian people can discover more about themselves, their world, other people and God. Thanks be to God for such a perfect Christmas present.