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CONTENTS WELCOME TO CHRISTMAS HOPE Christmas HOPE is a gift from your local church as we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Read the story of his surprising birth on pages 16-18. Discover how people’s lives are being changed today as they get to know him – not just as a baby born in Bethlehem, but as God who gives a fresh start in life to anyone who asks.
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Royal Prayers & Christmas Wishes What’s on your Christmas wish list this year?
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Thai Rescue Meet Adun, one of the 12 teenagers trapped in a cave in Thailand
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A Miraculous Rescue! ‘Faith moved mountains’ according to Chile’s president
10 Making Room For Christmas Toy-seller Gary Grant explains why he is making room for Jesus in his shop windows
Several of the features in this issue describe how God answers prayer. If you have never tried praying before, Christmas is a great time to start. Jesus is God’s gift to the world. He comes with an invitation to live life to the full with him, now and forever.
12 The Entertainer’s Christmas Quiz Answer five questions and you could win a £100 gift card from The Entertainer.
You can find out more about Jesus, and the new life he offers, from the person who gave you this magazine, your local church or from Christianity.org.uk.
16 The Reason For The Season Christmas - it’s about presents, right?
Have a great Christmas and a hope-filled New Year
Roy Crowne Executive Director, HOPE
13 A Grief Shared How did Simon Thomas cope when his wife died?
20 Fresh Hope After heavy drinking had put Michael Welch ‘in a bad place’, a warm welcome at The Salvation Army helped him turn his life around 24 Try Again Leeds Rhinos’ Jamie Jones-Buchanan talks to Andrew Stone about rugby and the thrill of winning 28 Stand by Me Meet Karen Gibson from The Kingdom Choir
Christmas HOPE is published by HOPE in partnership with Hope for Every Home. Visit christmasHOPE.org to watch videos linked to features in the magazine, to enter the competitions and find out more about Jesus Christ.
Editor: Catherine Butcher Designer: CPO Print & distribution: Belmont Press Photos: Rex Features/Unsplash Publisher: HOPE, 8A Market Place Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 3DU
office@hopetogether.org.uk Tel: 01788 542782 Copyright: HOPE 2018 Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement Hope 08 Ltd Registered Company No 05801431 Registered Charity No 1116005
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ROYAL PRAYERS & CHRISTMAS WISHES
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hat’s on your Christmas wish list this year? Will you be hanging up your stocking on the wall with Slade? Will you be dreaming of a white Christmas with Bing Crosby, or wishing it was Christmas everyday with Wizzard? Maybe you’ll be singing Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You?’ to a special person; relationships mean more to you than material possessions. When the Scottish author of Treasure Island wrote his Christmas list, it took the form of a prayer asking for love, kindness and happiness, not priceless gems. A Christmas Prayer By Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Who prays?
Like Robert Louis Stevenson, millions of people around the world pray regularly. Earlier this year
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when the research company ComRes asked people if they pray, about half (51%) said they do. Most pray for family members (71%), nearly half are thanking God (42%), and others are praying for friends (40%), healing (40%) and guidance (37%). About two thousand years ago Jesus was born in the Middle Eastern town of Bethlehem. He came to show people what God, his Father in heaven, is like. And he taught his followers how to talk to God in prayer. He was confident that God is listening when we pray. He said, ‘Ask, and you will receive… you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!’ Christmas is a great time to pray, if you’ve never prayed before. But you can pray at any time and for anything. Earlier this year the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose a prayer from the Bible to be read at the christening of their son, Prince Louis. It is a prayer written by Paul, one of Jesus’ first followers, and it is as relevant today as it was for the people Paul was praying for in Ephesus in modern-day Turkey. Paul prayed: I bow in prayer to the Father … I pray that he will use his glorious riches to make you strong. May his Holy Spirit give you his power deep down inside you. Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him. And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. May you have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is. And may you know his love, even though it can’t be known completely. Then you will be filled with everything God has for you.’ Ephesians 3:14-19 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge with Prince Louis at his christening.
God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union, help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen. Prayers, like this one, can be written and read, but prayers can be more spontaneous and there is no need to use special words. If you travel to the Middle East you’ll hear children calling ‘Abba’ which means ‘Daddy’. That’s the name Jesus said we should use for God when we pray to him. Because of Jesus, it is possible to know God and to talk to him about everything we face. This Christmas, what’s your wish list for yourself and the people you love? What’s your prayer?
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Photo: Matt Porteous/REX/Shutterstock
It isn’t the first time that the royal couple have included prayer as a key part of their public worship. When they were married, they wrote their own prayer for their wedding. Gratitude was their starting point.
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THAI RESCUE MEET ADUN, ONE OF THE 12 TEENAGERS TRAPPED IN A CAVE IN THAILAND
Photos: Compassion International
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dun, aged 14, was one of the 12 teenagers who captured hearts across the world when they became stranded in Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand. After being trapped underground for two weeks, the 12 and their football coach, were finally freed in a complicated rescue mission. The boys, aged 11 to 17, and their 25-year-old assistant coach entered the cave on 23 June after football practice. Shortly afterwards, heavy rains partially flooded the cave, trapping the group inside about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the entrance. Efforts to locate them were hampered by rising water levels and strong currents, and no contact was made for more than a week. The rescue effort expanded into a massive operation amid intense, worldwide, public interest. On 2 July British divers John Volanthen and Richard Stanton found the group alive. Adun was the only one of the teenagers who spoke English, so he was able to respond to John and Rick when they asked: ‘How many of you?’ ‘Thirteen,’ Adun answered, in a film clip that was watched by millions. Eight years ago, a similar saga of 33 Chilean miners trapped in a cave captivated people around the world. The 33 miners defied all odds, spending two months underground before being rescued alive. As the world watched to see the fate of the football players trapped in the Thai cave, the miners sent messages of support. (Read the miner’s story on page 8.) Like the miners, the whole group in Thailand were brought to safety following a mission fraught with obstacles. The Thai rescue effort involved more than 10,000 people, including divers, police officers, soldiers and rescue workers from about 100 governmental agencies. The last four boys were rescued on 10 July, ahead of another downpour that was predicted to start around 11 July. Sadly a Thai rescue diver died during the rescue mission, highlighting the dangers.
Rescuers at the Thai cave complex.
Giving thanks
Adun was discharged from hospital on 18 July, together with the other boys and their coach. After recovering from their ordeal, 11 members of the Wild Boar Football team took part in a Buddhist ceremony. Adun chose to give thanks to God at a special service in his local church with Christians from across the Chiang Rai District of northern Thailand, local governors, officers and rescue workers. During the church service, Adun shared his experiences of being trapped in the cave. He said, ‘I prayed, “Lord, I’m only a boy; you are almighty God, you are holy, and you are powerful. Right now I can’t do anything; may you protect us. Come to help all 13 of us.” And then I finished my prayer, thanking God for everything that happened to myself and my friends.’ He added, ‘Thank you to everybody who prayed for me and the whole team. Thank you to everybody that helped us, and the last thank you [goes] to the Lord: thank you God.’ During the church service Adun, pictured right, prayed for the family of Saman Kunan, the Thai navy seal who tragically died in the rescue mission. Adun’s church is led by Pastor Go Shin and his wife and has around 100 members. Adun, who has been sponsored through the charity Compassion since he was seven years old, hopes one day ‘to be a doctor and a famous professional soccer player for Chiang Rai United Club’. He will continue to stay at the church
under the care of Pastor Go Shin and his wife. Several of the children in the community are non-Thai citizens like Adun who live at the church because of the transient nature of their parents’ work. Adun’s parents, pictured right, are part of an ethnic group known as the ‘Lua’ or ‘Wah’ group. As the oldest of their five children, Adun’s parents encouraged him to live at the church where he could receive a more stable education. As special guests at the church service, Adun’s parents came dressed in traditional ethnic Lua dress. ‘God is great … there’s nothing he can’t do,’ they said after discovering their son was safe.
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Photo: Hugo Infante/REX/Shutterstock
A MIRACULOUS RESCUE!
Chile’s president Sebastián Piñera greets one of he rescued miners.
‘FAITH MOVED MOUNTAINS’ ACCORDING TO CHILE’S PRESIDENT
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33’ (We are well in the shelter, the 33 of us). It took three separate drilling rig teams, nearly every Chilean government ministry, the United States’ NASA space agency and a dozen corporations from around the world a further 52 days to rescue the men, which was described as a miracle. Chile’s president Sebastián Piñera said, ‘When the first miner emerges safe and sound, I hope all the bells of all the churches of Chile ring out forcefully, with joy and hope. Faith has moved mountains.’
The original note sent by the 33 miners to the rescue team.
Visit www.christmasHOPE.org to watch Chilean miner Jose Henriquez Gonzalez tell how 33 miners were rescued after 69 days trapped underground.
Photo: Felipe Trueba/REX/Shutterstock
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ose Henriquez Gonzalez was one of the 33 miners trapped 700 metres (2,300 ft) underground for 69 days after a rock-fall in a mine in northern Chile. Recalling their ordeal, which started on 5 August 2010, he said ‘the only possibility was God … we needed to pray’. Jose led the 33 in prayers each day. He said, ‘The first prayer was something like this. “Lord, we are not the best men: have mercy on us. Look after the young. Look after our families,” We presented the whole situation to God and we said, “We cannot do anything here. All we have left is you; because we have no one else to call out to; because we know you are the one who hears our prayers.” ‘We were praying every day, asking God to guide them [the rescuers] and help them find us.’ When the accident happened the 33 men had food for about three days of normal-sized meals. So to eke out their supplies they didn’t eat for up to 72 hours at a time. ‘The portions were very small but very important for us,’ Jose said. ‘We lasted until the 16th day, but the food was running out. On the 17th day, the Lord allowed us to be found.’ When the probe found the men, they taped a note to the drill bit which was pulled back to the surface (pictured right). It read ‘Estamos bien en el refugio, los
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MAKING ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS TOY-SELLER GARY GRANT EXPLAINS WHY HE IS MAKING ROOM FOR JESUS IN HIS SHOP WINDOWS
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n the run-up to Christmas, when toy shops are packing their windows with the top toys, Gary Grant, who owns toy shop chain, The Entertainer, clears a window in all of his toy shops with two or more windows, to make room for the story of Jesus’ birth. The nativity displays cause a really positive buzz and conversations between families, with children asking about the nativity story. ‘I’ve heard grandparents outside our shops explain to their grandchildren what the nativity scene is about,’ says Gary. ‘One uncle stood in front of the window explaining “This is Jesus, Mary and Joseph”. But the six-year-old with him hadn’t heard of them.’ The fact that shopping centres and schools don’t have nativity scenes, and the real meaning of A Christmas shop window at The Entertainer
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Christmas is omitted from Christmas celebrations, saddens the father of four. ‘Having a nativity scene in a shop window is not saying you must believe,’ he says, but he is clear about why he wants to make room for the nativity story: ‘Christmas is not just a Bank Holiday. It’s to mark a true story about the birth of Jesus.’
Nativity scenes
The Entertainer first featured a nativity scene in their windows about 20 years ago. Gary explains: ‘I used papier mâché characters – kings, shepherds, Mary and Joseph – I bought 12 sets, but I’ve never been able to buy more. As the number of stores increased, each year the shop managers would be fighting over who could have the nativity characters. So we designed and created cardboard nativity scenes to be displayed in the windows. This meant that more shops could accommodate them in the window space they had, as our windows are all different sizes. The cardboard displays are designed to be child-friendly and relevant for children today. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the nativity scenes from customers and staff. We want to set the scene for Christmas, keeping it relevant and fun but not forgetting the meaning of the Christmas celebrations.’ As a child, Gary knew the Jesus story from primary school assemblies and singing Christian hymns, but as a teenager he rejected God. After leaving school with one O-level in maths, he had a job in a bike shop during the 1970’s skateboard boom. When the market slumped, Gary bought up the surplus stock and started his own business selling skateboard parts. When it came to finding a shop, an estate agent friend told Gary about a local toy shop that was for sale, and in May 1981, Gary and his wife Catherine opened The Entertainer in Amersham; their first store. As well as featuring Christmas nativity windows, the Entertainer shops stand out in shopping centres nationwide as they are closed on Sundays. Even last year, when Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday, The Entertainer stores were closed on what is normally a toy shop’s busiest day of the year. Gary Grant wants staff to have Sundays off to spend time with their own
families. ‘With lifestyles so busy, being closed on a Sunday gives our employees a day to spend quality time with their families. It’s often the only day of the week to have a family meal together,’ he explains.
A radical approach
Gary’s approach to business changed in 1991 when he had what he calls ‘a life changing experience’. He went to a men’s breakfast at his wife’s church and heard a preacher talk about the relationship he had with Jesus. ‘I’d done RE at school, but the whole religious thing was very remote. It wasn’t a living thing, just something you learned. No one had ever told me that Jesus overwhelmingly, unconditionally loved me.’ The next day Gary went back to the church to find the preacher and says ‘something dramatically changed. I walked out of church that evening realising that God really did love me. He didn’t like everything I did, but he loved me. God doesn’t say “If you change what you do, I’ll love you.” He says, “I love you unconditionally.”’ It prompted Gary to re-think everything he did. He had three shops at the time and Sunday trading was
still illegal. When the law changed, Gary prayed about what to do and decided not to open the shops on Sundays. Even in the 2008-2009 recession when the bank manager said ‘You’re going to have to give up this Sunday stuff’, Gary stuck to his principles. ‘I do what’s right in bad times and good times.’ Since then countless staff have told him, ‘I took a job here because I could be with my family on Sundays.’ and many retail landlords tell him he does more trade in six days than competitors do in seven. ‘My Christian faith is not a rule book forced upon me. It’s all about choices,’ he says. ‘Faith is a living, daily thing. Considering “What does God want me to do?” is as important Monday to Friday as it is on a Sunday.’ Looking back to when he became a Christian at 33, Gary says, ‘Why didn’t somebody tell me about Jesus earlier?’ By using his shop windows to feature the Jesus story, Gary says, ‘My primary goal is to play my small part in explaining why we celebrate Christmas and to encourage busy shoppers to take a moment to remember the reason for the season - the birth of Jesus.’
Gary and Catherine Grant with two of their sons
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THE ENTERTAINER’S CHRISTMAS QUIZ ANSWER THESE FIVE QUESTIONS AND YOU COULD WIN A £100 GIFT CARD FROM THE ENTERTAINER 11.
Which of these animals is in The Entertainer’s nativity scene?
a) lion b) donkey c) giraffe
22. How many Wise Men are there in the nativity scene?
55. How many of The Entertainer Jacks can
you find on the pages of Christmas HOPE, including those on this page?
a) Two b) Three c) Ten
33. What’s the name of Jesus’ mother in the nativity story?
44. How many Entertainer stores are there? a) 16 b) 160 c) 1,600
a) 5 b) 10 c) 15
a) Angela b) Mary c) Ruth You can enter online at christmasHOPE.org or you can send your answers, with your name and address, to Christmas HOPE, 8A Market Place, Rugby, CV21 3DU.
Top prize £100 gift card Two second prizes of £50 gift cards Twelve third prizes of £25 gift cards 100 runners up will each receive a £10 gift card The closing date to enter is Friday 11 January 2019. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Prize winners will be selected at random from among the correct entries. Prizes will be sent to winners by the end of January 2019. It is our policy to ensure that your details will not be disclosed to third parties.
Prizes for schools Schools who order and distribute Christmas Hope to at least 100 families in the school before Christmas will be entered into a competition to receive one of 20 £100 vouchers to spend at The Entertainer. To be eligible, place an order online at www.hopepublishing.org.uk by 3 December 2018 for copies of Christmas Hope using the code ‘Schools2018’ and requesting delivery to the school. The deadline for schools to be eligible for a £100 Entertainer voucher is Monday 3 December 2018. Orders for the magazine must be placed by 5pm on Monday 3 December 2018 using the code ‘Schools2018’. The vouchers will be sent by the end of January 2019 to 20 schools selected at random from those ordering the magazine by that date.
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A GRIEF SHARED HOW DID SIMON THOMAS COPE WHEN HIS WIFE DIED?
Photo: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
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ormer TV presenter Simon Thomas featured on the front cover of Christmas HOPE last year. The headline was ‘Living the Dream’. In the weeks after the publication came out, Simon’s life turned from a dream to a nightmare. His wife Gemma died on 24 November. The next day he wrote on Twitter: ‘Today I am crushed with indescribable pain. Just three days after falling ill with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, my dear wife Gemma passed away yesterday evening surrounded by her family and friends.’ He added: ‘If you are a prayer - pray for my boy Ethan. 8yrs, precious and in bits. Thank you.’
Hope of heaven
In the year since Gemma’s death Simon has posted regular updates on his blog at agriefshared. com. He is open and honest about his painful journey through grief which he describes as ‘the toughest challenge of my life’. Simon was a Blue Peter presenter for six years before joining Sky Sports in 2005 to present Sky Sports News. He then became the lead presenter of Sky Sports’ live Football League coverage and by 2016 he was presenting Premier League. He grew up the son of a vicar, but whilst faith was a big part of family life, it was never forced on him.
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Simon, Ethan and Gemma
Both he and Gemma were Christians, and Simon has described their faith as the foundation on which their marriage was built. Though they went through some tough times together, including two failed rounds of IVF and a miscarriage, their faith gave them the hope and strength to get them through. Last year, shortly before losing Gemma, Simon said ‘My faith is about God walking through life alongside me; being part of my life, not just on a Sunday when I go to church with the family. My relationship with God is all-encompassing and that includes my work. So before every match I presented for Sky Sports I would simply pray “God, all I ask is that today I can do my job to the best of my ability.” I knew that without God, my job would be a whole lot harder.’ Now he has faced one of the hardest tests of all. When asked if he still believes in God he says, ‘If I take my faith out of the equation, then at that moment any hope I have left disappears.’ Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die’ (John 11:25). As someone who follows Jesus, Simon believes he will see Gemma again one day in heaven with Jesus. But in the years he has left, he now has a painful path to navigate, not least
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bringing up their nine-year old boy who now has to face the rest of his life without his mum. Coming to terms with such sudden loss is a massive challenge. In the week before she died Gemma had no energy and was having bad headaches. She visited the doctor three times before receiving the devastating news that she had blood cancer – a rare strain of cancer called Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. The speed of her decline was so rapid and so brutal that it meant Ethan’s only memories of his mum are of her still looking like mum. It was too early for the chemotherapy that had started immediately to begin changing how she looked. Whilst from his boy’s point of view he sees this as a positive, for Simon it meant they had no time to prepare for life without Gemma. Acute Myeloid Leukaemia is an aggressive cancer which develops rapidly. As her white blood cell count went through the roof, her blood became thicker and thicker, causing damage to the blood vessels in her brain. Just three days after diagnosis Simon was told on a Friday morning in late November 2017 that his wife had just hours to live. The shock and pain of that news was indescribable, he says, but he also felt a bizarre sense of peace.
‘They talk in the Bible about “The peace of God that passes all understanding”. For most of my Christian life I didn’t know what that peace actually was or felt like. I thought it was just a peace you feel when you’re sat on a desert island or in your favourite place. But what it actually is, is having peace in the most unlikely of places; in the most chaotic and fear-filIed of places. It gave me the strength to be able to walk out of that room that morning, having just been dealt the biggest blow I’ll ever have (or hope I’ll ever have) and feel a sense of calm. I didn’t unravel. I didn’t lose it. I was able to calmly ring Gemma’s mum to say “You need to get here now, and can you bring Ethan from school? Gemma’s going.” I found a strength I don’t recognise in myself as I look back on it.’ There was a sliver of hope on that Friday morning. The brain can repair its self and the bleeding could have stopped, so Simon prayed time and time again, asking God to heal Gemma. ‘I simply kept laying my hand on Gemma’s head and saying “God please! I’ve read about you healing and I’ve seen it in the churches I’ve been at – stop this bleeding! I don’t want Ethan to grow up without a mum.”’ But by 1pm he sensed it was time to start saying goodbye. He spent the remaining time recalling the good memories of how they’d met; their wedding day; the memories Ethan will have of his mum. ‘I prayed with her and I played some of her favourite music. That for me is the “peace of God that passes understanding”. I should have been losing it – yet I wasn’t.’ Later that night, when he left the hospital he says, ‘I’ve never shouted as loudly as I shouted at God. I don’t understand why he didn’t intervene. I don’t think I’ll ever find out. If God is who I think he is, he is big enough to take me ranting at him. If I take my faith out of the equation then nothing makes sense to me. This doesn’t make sense and life doesn’t make sense. ‘Ethan prays that mummy is having a good time in heaven. The painful bit is there’s an earthly wait. As he told his teacher “I’ve a really long wait ‘til I see mummy” and he has. He’s got the rest of his life.’
depression, she was the constant. She was the one I’d always turn to for reassurance. She was the person I always rang as soon as we came off air… how could I ever do my job again without my best friend alongside me?’ Explaining why he was leaving he said, ‘Firstly and most importantly, I’m doing it for Ethan. On that first morning after Gemma went, I remember Ethan coming up to me in the lounge and through his tears he said these words: “Daddy, you know every weekend you go away and do the football, and I spend the weekend with Mummy? What do I do now?” And they have stuck with me ever since.’ As well as writing a book and raising money for a blood cancer charity, he says, ‘I’m going to be giving every ounce of energy I have to helping my boy navigate this strange new chapter of life and, as a Christian, I have to trust God in this. This is not blind faith, this is real faith – and sometimes, that means stepping out into the unknown.’
Photo: Guy Bell/REX/Shutterstock
Unlikely peace
Into the unknown
In April this year Simon announced that he would be leaving Sky Sports at the end of the season. He wrote: ‘Gemma was a huge part of my time with Sky. Just three weeks after I joined we got married, and throughout these 13 years she was alongside me. When I had those times of doubt about whether I was good enough, when I had those two periods of Photo: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
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THE REASON FOR THE SEASON CHRISTMAS – IT’S ABOUT PRESENTS, RIGHT?
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Angels aren’t an every-day occurrence, and when Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he decided to break off the engagement.
The baby was born in Bethlehem, a town in the Middle East near Jerusalem. You can still visit it. His mum was called Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man called Joseph. But Joseph wasn’t the baby’s dad.
An angel appeared to him too. In the dream the angel said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [That means that somehow this baby’s dad was God himself!] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, [the name means saviour] because he will save his people from their sins.’
t certainly began with a gift, but not the sort you might find wrapped under a decorated tree. It began with a baby who is recognised by millions of people around the world, and throughout history, as God’s gift to all of the men, women and children on earth.
This baby was unique. Even before he was born, people had written about him. An angel had visited Mary to explain what was happening, saying: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… his kingdom will never end.’ It’s not an easy story to grasp.
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But then he had a dream.
This shouldn’t have been a total surprise to Joseph. He was a godly man who studied the scriptures. Isaiah, one of the Hebrew prophets, had written about 700 years earlier about this supernatural birth: ‘The Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son’.
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel had said and married Mary. And when she had a son, as the angel had said, they gave him the name Jesus. How do we know this? When the baby grew up some of his closest friends wrote down his story. Copies of those original manuscripts are some of the most ancient documents in the world. There are so many similar copies, scholars can’t dispute the fact that a man called Jesus lived about 2,000 years ago in the Middle East. But we are moving on too fast with the story. Back to Bethlehem. Caesar Augustus, the Roman ruler at the time, had decided that everyone should return to their birthplace for a census. So Joseph and Mary travelled from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem; about eight to ten days walking distance. When they arrived in Bethlehem there was nowhere for them to stay; no crib for the baby when he was born. Instead Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger – the animals’ feeding trough.
Good news; great joy
There were shepherds watching over their flocks in fields nearby. Suddenly an angel appeared to them. Even though it was night everything around them shone. As you’d expect, they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David [that’s another way of describing Bethlehem] a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah [that means Anointed One - a person who was expected to save people from a very bad situation]. Then the angels gave them a clue to test if their story was true: ‘This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly the sky was full of angels praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’ When the angels left, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. And just as the angel had said, they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby in a manger.
Wise men and a star
Meanwhile wise men were also on their way to find the baby. These men studied the stars. They believed a bright star in the sky was the sign of a new king’s birth. Because they were expecting a king, they went to a palace and asked the king, Herod, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ Herod told them ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’ But Herod was actually planning to kill the baby. He didn’t want a rival growing up in his kingdom. When the wise men found Mary and her baby they bowed and worshipped him. Then they opened the treasures they had brought: gold, frankincense [incense
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which is burned by priests as part of worship] and myrrh [an expensive perfume used in burials]. Then the wise men had a dream warning them not to go back to Herod. They returned home by another route. Joseph also had a dream of an angel which said, ‘Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So Joseph took Jesus and Mary and left for Egypt at night. Jesus and his parents lived as refugees there until King Herod died and it was safe to return to Nazareth.
A truly amazing story!
This is just the start of Jesus’ story. When he grew up some of the things that happened around this special birth began to make sense. Jesus travelled around the area teaching people about God. People were amazed when they heard him. Wherever he went, people who were ill came to him and they were healed. Jesus travelled with 12 followers, known as disciples. They were the first to realise that he was the Messiah, promised by the ancient prophets. But he wasn’t quite what they expected. They were expecting a king who would set them free from Roman rule. But Jesus was killed on a Roman cross. Above him, the Romans who crucified him wrote: ‘This is Jesus, the king of the Jews’. But that’s not the end of the story. After he was crucified, his disciples took his body and buried it in a cave. A huge stone was rolled across the entrance. The Romans even posted guards to make sure no one stole the body. That was on a Friday. When some of his followers went to the tomb on the Sunday they were amazed. The stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. An angel told them: ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.”’ And that’s what happened. Jesus was seen alive by hundreds of people before he returned to his father in heaven. But before he went he promised them, and us, ‘I am with you always’. Billions of people around the world know this to be true. Jesus is alive and he offers the gift of new life to anyone who follows him. If you ask him, he will be with you now and forever. You can read the whole of Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ birth in their books in the Bible. You can find these in any language at biblegateway.com biblegateway.com. Enter Matthew or Luke in the ‘key word’ box and choose an easy-to-read Bible version such as the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV).
What will you give this Christmas? In her famous Christmas carol the English poet Christina Rossetti imagined the nativity to be ‘In the bleak mid-winter’. Her carol ends with a question: What can I give him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb, If I were a wise man I would do my part, Yet what I can I give him, Give my heart.
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SNAKES AND LADDERS Follow Jesus’ life story. You can play this game with two or more players. All you need is dice. The player who throws a six first starts at the bottom of the grid before Jesus is born. The winner is the first to reach the top, when Jesus has risen from the dead! 64
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Jesus is alive!
Angels announce Jesus’ birth
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Jesus’ bed is a manger – a feeding trough for animals. The wise men go to the wrong place looking for the baby. The wise men tell Herod they are looking for a new-born king. People want to kill Jesus. Jesus is killed on a Roman cross. Jesus’ closest friends desert him.
An angel visits Mary with news that she is going to become a mum. Joseph has a dream, and doesn’t break off his engagement to Mary. Angels share the good news about Jesus’ birth with local shepherds. Angels fill the sky praising God. Joseph is warned to escape to Egypt. Jesus tells his followers that he will rise from the dead.
www.christmasHOPE.org
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FRESH HOPE AFTER HEAVY DRINKING HAD PUT MICHAEL WELCH ‘IN A BAD PLACE’, A WARM WELCOME AT THE SALVATION ARMY HELPED HIM TURN HIS LIFE AROUND, AS HE TELLS ROSEMARY DAWSON 20
Photo: Jon Tyson/Unsplash
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hree women – Nikki, Hazel and Jean – were instrumental in changing the life of Michael Welch when he was sleeping rough and drinking heavily. Their kindness gave him hope for a better future, and introduced him to faith. When he was only seven years old, Michael’s happy family life was thrown into disarray by the death of his mother. It left him and his brother being raised by their heavy drinking father – which was to have an effect on Michael in the future. On leaving school, Michael worked in scrap metal before embarking on a two-year apprenticeship as a crane driver. ‘That turned me from a boy into a man,’ he reflects. ‘I saw some horrific accidents, and had some bad injuries myself, including broken fingers and toes.’ Michael left his job after a bad experience that could have ended in disaster. ‘I had to lift a crowbar to a load of burning metal, which came down on top of me,’ he says. ‘I could feel the heat coming up and flames licking through my protective clothing, but I couldn’t escape from the guard rail. No one came to help me. I had all the right equipment, but was nearly a goner. For my own safety and peace of mind, I had to get away from the Midlands. ‘I started drinking vodka to forget that experience. I did some temporary jobs before moving to Duxford airbase near Cambridge to work for a small security company. The work wasn’t hard and it was very quiet.
DRINKING PUT ME IN A BAD PLACE
Unfortunately I lost that job through my drinking, which had a bad effect on me and twisted my mind. If I had been better informed about its effects, I think I would have coped better, but there was no one to tell me to stop what I was doing to myself. As well as my father’s heavy drinking, my brother had died from drink when he was 30.’ After losing his job, Michael slept rough in Norwich. ‘It was my birthday, and I’d lost my sense of self-worth. Then I met Nikki at a soup run and she invited me to The Salvation Army’s Arc (Advice and Refreshment Centre), where I was met with kindness, a hot meal and a change of clothes. ‘But drinking had put me in a bad place, and I later ended up in prison with a 14-month sentence for assault. There I met a wonderful Salvation Army prison chaplain called Hazel, who gave me hope for a better future. I didn’t know then that she was also Nikki’s mum! She helped me feel the need to change my life. She gave me the right word at the right time. ‘Prison changed me. I wasn’t “the big man” now, just someone who had been dropped in at the deep end of life. ‘After my release, I went back to the Arc to thank them for helping me, and while I was there someone prayed with me. This opened my awareness of God, so I decided to go along to a service at The Salvation Army church.’ But deciding to attend a service was one thing; going into it was another. ‘I could see that The Salvation Army was a place of kindness, but I didn’t know how to react to it.
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I’VE GOT MY SENSE OF SELF-WORTH BACK. I’M A DIFFERENT PERSON INSIDE.
I was afraid to go in, so Jean – a member of the welcome team – suggested that I sit in the porch and watch the service on the television monitor. I did that for two weeks and started to get a sense of belonging. I felt myself being drawn in and noticed a change inside me. ‘Jean assured me it was OK for me to go into the meeting. She told me to “leave my old self at the door”. So I did. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. ‘Back at the Arc, someone gave me a book of prayers. I sat reading it on a bench in the cemetery, and saw this verse: “Come to me … and you will find life.” The wind started blowing in the long grass and revealed a wooden cross on one of the graves. My body started to tingle, and when I left the cemetery I was a different person. I know now that God’s Spirit had come to me. ‘I did some voluntary gardening and an IT course while I was waiting to sign on. Now I have a new life, a new home, a new job and new friends. I am truly reformed – I don’t want to drink or fall back into my old ways. I’m in touch with humanity again.’ Michael became a uniformed member of The Salvation Army earlier this year. ‘I try to help other rough sleepers at the Arc not to make the same mistakes I did. I’ve been to drink awareness courses, and I want to be accountable for my actions – to know that what I do stands for something. I’ve got my sense of self-worth back. I’m a different person inside.’ Jesus said:
Photo: Salvation Army
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me— watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness. Michael Welch in his Salvation Army uniform
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Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG) and John 10:10 Good News Translation (GNT)
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Jamie Jones-Buchanan in action
TRY AGAIN LEEDS RHINOS’ JAMIE JONES-BUCHANAN TALKS TO ANDREW STONE ABOUT RUGBY AND THE THRILL OF WINNING
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amie Jones-Buchanan of reigning Super League champions Leeds Rhinos is now in his 20th league season. ‘There’s only one player who has done 20 years,’ he tells me. ‘So, God willing, if I play through this year there’s the potential to join a company of one.’ Jamie, known in the game as JJB, has enjoyed great success at Leeds, winning 16 domestic competitions while also representing his country at the highest level. ‘I feel privileged and honoured to have achieved what I have,’ he says. ‘We had a core of players at the club who were called the “golden generation”. The 2015 season was the club’s most successful ever as we won three trophies. But it was also the most adverse for me, as I injured my knee and missed out on all three finals.’ JJB still lifted the Challenge Cup at Wembley, albeit dressed in a suit alongside the club captain Kevin Sinfield. ‘It was a defining moment,’ he recalls. ‘It showed the altruistic nature of the group. I think the team won trophies not because it necessarily had the best players, but because it was a group made up of sacrificial men who looked after each other. Photo: Magi Haroun/REX/Shutterstock
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While he was growing up, JJB’s family attended church only for weddings and christenings, although he had received a Gideon’s Bible as a child. His gran prayed every night and he took part in school nativities, but he had no idea that the Bible was about Jesus. His new teammate allowed him to see what it meant to be a Christian. ‘Ali was a shining light,’ Jamie explains. ‘It was as much his actions as his words that made him stand out. He would train really hard and be part of the group, but once the players went off drinking, or with women, he separated himself. ‘He invited me to the church I still go to today.’ He describes it as ‘a life-changing opportunity’. ‘The pastor at the time took me under his wing, and we went through a course called Christianity Explored. I had always believed in this higher power and that there was a God, and my own inner searching got married up to the theology of the Bible. I started to learn who the person of Jesus Christ was. I never looked back. ‘My Christian experience was a gradual thing. There was never one day when I went into church and came out completely different. I was always looking for the truth and where that fitted into my life, and the more I understood about Christianity, the more I realised how true it was.’
Photo: Mick Atkins/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock
‘Being the last man standing in that group and the oldest player, it’s my responsibility to pass that message on to the next generation of players who are coming through.’ Even though the golden generation is not at the Rhinos any more, the 37-year-old knows that the supporters will be hoping for similar success with the current squad. ‘The fans have big expectations,’ he says. ‘And the players want to go on and win more trophies.’ JJB’s competitive nature was evident early on in life. He was four years old when he started taking part in sport and discovered the thrill of winning. ‘Unfortunately, winning became my identity. It was the centre of who I was. It didn’t matter if I was playing rugby or a game of Monopoly, I had to be first. The importance isn’t there as much now, but I still enjoy winning and competing, and I’m excited by the new season.’ Over the years, Jamie has seen many changes in the game as more concern is now being given to player welfare. He explains that some actions that would have been celebrated earlier in his career are not part of the game any more. ‘When I played in the World Club Challenge in 2008 I flew down the field and tackled this guy with a bit of a shoulder charge. I rattled him and he stayed down, but it was like scoring a goal in soccer, the crowd erupted. Back then that was a fair way of tackling and was par for the course. ‘But if you did that today, you’d probably get a twomatch suspension. I am an old dog who needs to get rid of some bad habits.’ Losing those old habits is not always easy, as JJB has learnt to his cost. In his entire career he has been suspended only four times, but three of those bans have been in the past 18 months. It is a concern for the player who became a Christian in 2006. ‘A lot of the world thinks that once you become a Christian you become perfect, and that certainly isn’t the case,’ he reflects. ‘But I do feel a pressure to behave a certain way out on the pitch because of my faith.’ Jamie’s journey to faith started when Leeds Rhinos signed New Zealander Ali Lauitiiti, who was a practising Christian. ‘I was a cantankerous rugby league player who wanted to win everything,’ he recalls. ‘But it was quickly evident that there was something different about Ali. He made no secret of the fact that he was a Christian and it was the first time I had a team-mate and a friend who I had the opportunity to speak to about faith.’
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Photo: Simon Davies/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock
JJB’s team-mates began to see a change in him, as he no longer did some of the things they did. But that didn’t cause them to resent his faith, and they have been happy to talk with him about it. ‘I speak to my teammates about faith all the time,’ he says. ‘In 2014 we celebrated the club’s 150th anniversary at Leeds Minster. I was invited to give my testimony in front of fans and players and explain why I am a Christian.’ As JJB is obviously comfortable with practising his faith on the training ground, is he just as happy taking it onto the match-day pitch. Does he pray during games? ‘I certainly don’t pray for a win, but I do pray for God’s will to be done,’ he replies. ‘Whatever manifests itself on the pitch, I pray that it is God’s will and that I will react in the right way. When I’m under pressure, particularly with the crowd’s
expectations, I just hope and pray that the right things come out of me and that I react in a Christlike way.’ And the veteran player is still experiencing new ways of demonstrating his faith when on the pitch. ‘My identity was always in winning,’ he says. ‘But last year we played Castleford six times and thankfully we beat them in the final. But in all the games before that, we got absolutely hammered by them. One game they beat us 62-10. ‘There are quite a few Christians in that Castleford team and the last time we played them before the final we got beaten quite heavily again, but afterwards, the Castleford players and I all knelt down on the pitch and prayed, giving thanks for the opportunity to play. ‘I felt that it was an opportunity for a witness that our faith is at the forefront of our lives and the most important thing.’
WINNING BECAME MY IDENTITY. IT WAS THE CENTRE OF WHO I WAS
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STAND BY ME MEET KAREN GIBSON FROM THE KINGDOM CHOIR
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ew people had heard of Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir until May of this year. The group from South London found themselves with an estimated audience of two billion when they sang ‘Stand By Me’ at the wedding of Meghan Merkle and Prince Harry. Catapulted from relative obscurity, they now have a record deal from Sony, one of the major players in the music industry. Their album ‘Stand By Me’ is out in time for Christmas. Karen is described as the godmother of British Gospel. Her musical career actually began with her playing oboe and piano; she didn’t start singing in a choir until the age of 18. ‘Going to a black Pentecostal church, music was all around,’ she says. ‘I learned to sing harmony in church and listening to the latest Gospel hits.’ Her Christian faith grew alongside her singing. Her mother was part of the Windrush generation from Guyana. At first Karen went to Sunday School before going to what she called ‘Big Church’. ‘Gospel is an oral tradition. I learned to sing alto from a big woman with the biggest, booming voice. You could hear her from the other side of church.’ Karen’s dreams of a choir began to take shape when she ‘fell in love’ with a Winans Brothers’ Gospel song ‘The Question Is?’. Her first choir, called New Dawn, began with her sister and four friends, all aged between 12 and 18 singing a capella in four or five part harmony in local churches.
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Faith wasn’t simply absorbed, but was a personal decision. Karen says, ‘I used to analyse what was being said to me, not really recognising the love that God has for me personally. Then in my twenties I got into the Word [the Bible], and in my thirties I got into worship.’ The next choir began when Karen was working with worship leader Noel Robinson going to black Pentecostal churches and recording the services for the BBC. Sometimes the church choirs needed help, so Karen took along some singers. ‘When we were singing in places like Westminster Central Hall or Greenbelt, which didn’t have a choir, I gathered people I knew. ‘There were 25 in that choir – we were just people who liked to sing – people from church.’ But the choir had no name. The solution came when the BBC rang to book them and said they needed a name by the next day. ‘That night I dreamed of the name “The Kingdom Choir”. I didn’t have any understanding of what the “kingdom” meant. Now I know it is God’s kingdom … God’s realm – the way God works in the world.’ In her forties Karen took time out from the choir and went to Bethel Church in California where she was part of the Bethel School of Ministry for a year. The school describes its mission as ‘to equip and deploy revivalists who passionately pursue world-wide transformation in their God-given spheres of influence. Students are trained to continue in the ministry style of Jesus: to enjoy the presence of God, say what he is
saying, and do what he is doing.’ Several of the young people she knew went with her to the USA in the following years and the choir began again with the people who had been with her to the ministry school. ‘People coming back from Bethel needed a community so we started “Encounter Night” at my house every other Monday to worship and praise God. Up to 40 of us gathered in my front room – people who were hungry for God.’ That’s when Karen sensed God say ‘Here’s your choir’. ‘I tried to brush it off, but I started it with young people who were hungry for God – real worshippers and some older mature voices.’ Their Christian faith – intimacy with God and connection with each other – is reflected in the strong sense of community in the choir. ‘We laugh a lot and we eat a lot together,’ Karen says. ‘It’s a lovely meeting of hearts, minds and spirits.’ The invitation to sing at the Royal Wedding came out of the blue. ‘We didn’t understand what would happen. I thought it would be a lovely day in the presence of royalty and celebrities. I didn’t envisage the response,’ she says. ‘”Stand By Me” was the royal couple’s choice. We had never sung it like that before. They were very hands on. They wanted a simple sound and were very specific. And they were right. If we had sung it our way it wouldn’t have crossed the boundaries of age and culture in the way it has. It touched people.’
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Photo: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
The choir on ‘Good Morning Britain’.
The arrangement was the 12th version: ‘We went backwards and forward to Kensington Palace. But we are thankful to the royal couple, as it touched the nation … and nations. ‘I thought it was a Ben E. King soul song, but we researched the roots of the song and found out it was originally a spiritual.’ The words of the second verse are drawn from the Bible – Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. ‘That was so exciting for us as we sang the song’ Karen says. It is thought that ‘Stand By Me’ was originally inspired by the spiritual hymn ‘Lord Stand By Me’ with its intimate prayer to God to ‘stand by me’ through
Come and sing the Christmas Story Get together with friends and family to sing the Christmas story this year. Bible Society have produced a special carol booklet, in partnership with HOPE, featuring the words to 12 well-known carols and the Bible story in a nutshell, which gives a new perspective on the nativity. Copies of Come and Sing the Christmas Story can be ordered online at www.biblesociety. org.uk/comeandsing
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life’s troubles. More than 400 versions of the song have been recorded, most famously by Ben E. King, but also by John Lennon and, rather surprisingly by Muhammad Ali when he was known as Cassius Clay. The song is a popular choice for couples on their wedding day. The Kingdom Choir gave their stirring rendition just before Meghan and Harry exchanged their vows watched by a worldwide audience of billions. The choir had prayed for the song and prayed for the listeners, ‘that the song would touch people’. They’d asked friends to pray too. ‘Prayer, praise and worship are part of every choir practice. Everything comes from that. Getting into God’s presence keeps us connected to God and to each other,’ Karen says. ‘So many people said they were in tears as they heard it. People were moved by it.’ Their prayer that the song would touch hearts has been answered much more than they imagined. It has introduced an international audience to their prayerful, joyful brand of Gospel music.
Win ‘Stand By Me’ on CD We have three copies of The Kingdom Choir’s new CD ‘Stand By Me’ to give away. Answer these three questions correctly and you could be one of the winners. 1. What’s the first line of the song ‘Stand By Me’? 2. Which member of The Beatles recorded ‘Stand By Me’? 3. What’s the first verse of the Psalm that is quoted in ‘Stand By Me’? You can enter online at christmasHOPE.org or you can send your answers, with your name and address, to Christmas HOPE, 8A Market Place, Rugby, CV21 3DU. The closing date is Friday 11 January 2019.
CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2018
Help us be there for someone in need this Christmas £19 could help buy a box of groceries, so a family struggling in poverty can share a basic Christmas meal together.
£38 could help meet the cost of an officer to run a Salvation Army
centre for a day – to keep the door open for vulnerable people.
£63 could provide a week’s support and advice for a homeless person in one of our centres.
£112 could provide Christmas dinner and companionship for 20 lonely older people.
You can make a donation by phone or online
08000 926 926 salvationarmyappeals.org.uk Quoting Ref CL01
Registered Charity No. 214779, and in Scotland SC009359.
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Christmas edition
Experience the Christmas story like never before! Guardians of Ancora is a world class, interactive and immersive smartphone and tablet game developed by Scripture Union. This Christmas, experience an incredible adventure that began over 2,OOO years ago, through the epic parkour-based gameplay of Guardians of Ancora. Meet the Angel Gabriel, Mary, Joseph and Jesus as the beautiful 3D graphics and studio quality sound bring the Christmas story to life. Download Guardians of Ancora for free and live the incredible adventures of Christmas. Download and play Guardians of Ancora FOR FR E E
Find out more at guardiansofancora.com 32