Jeg tror, vi alle kender i hvert fald ét af julemandens rensdyr. Et rensdyr som har en rød næse som lyser. Det er selvfølgelig julemandens mest kendte rensdyr, Rudolf med den røde tud. Rudolf havde en lysende næse og alle de andre rensdyr grinede af ham og kaldte ham grimme navne. De inviterede aldrig Rudolf til at deltage i deres lege og gav ham aldrig nok mad til at han blev mæt. – Men så en aften i december kom julemanden til Rudolf, og foran alle de andre rensdyr sagde julemanden: ’Rudolf med den røde tud, vil du lyse for min slæde i nat?’ Så råbte alle de andre rensdyr: ’Rudolf med den røde tud, du bliver det vigtigste rensdyr – du bliver berømt!’

Denne historie om Rudolf er aktuel i dag, juleaften, fordi det er historien om frelse. For lad os se det i øjnene – havde Rudolf bare være overladt til sig selv og ikke fået hjælp fra julemanden, ja, så ville han nok ende sine dage som et trist rensdyr uden venner og uden mad. Drillerierne ville fortsætte år efter år. Julemanden frelste ham fra ondskab og gav ham den forreste plads i slæden, som den der skulle lyse for de andre rensdyr. I dag er en lignende frelser født, en frelser som redder os fra drillerier og ondskab og i stedet giver os lyset, så vi kan lyse i denne verden og lede andre mennesker ind i lyset.

I dag fejrer vi denne frelser, som er født, Jesus som blev født i en lille stald uden varme. Han er kommet og blevet levende blandt os, og hvad sker der så nu i denne regnvåde juletid? Vil Jesus frelse Rudolf med den røde tud og skrue den lysende næse af for at give ham en anden? Vil Jesus tage vores sygdom med sig og give os evigt liv her på jorden? Vil Jesus frelse os fra al sorg og aldrig tillade os at græde endnu en tåre, fordi fremtiden vil blive evigt lykkelig? Nej, Rudolf beholder sin røde lysende næse, vi må se vores sygdom i øjnene, og sorgens tårer vil falde, som vi har set det mange gange før. En frelser er født, en frelser som vil se alle vores fejl og alt vores svaghed. Intet er usynligt for ham, – fra ham kan vi ikke gemme os.

Jesus vil tage alle vores defekter og svagheder, og han vil tænde sit lys i os, så vores svagheder bliver egenskaber vi kan tjene Gud med.

 Rudolf blev valgt netop på grund af sin defekt – en lysende rød næse, og således tjente han julemanden. Da Jesus blev født, var det Josef som blev udstillet med en defekt. I ved godt, at den gang var det manden som bestemte alting. Kvindens ord havde ingen betydning. Nu har man vendt hele verden på hovedet, og nu bestemmer kvinden alt, mens manden skal være meget stille og rolig, for at hun ikke laver ballade, men tænk Jer Josef dengang. Han havde aldrig sovet med Maria, de var ikke gift og nu var hun pludselig gravid. Hvilken skam han måtte gå rundt med, og mon ikke mange mænd på den tid ville have rejst sig op og forladt Maria med et stort skænderi. – Men ikke Josef. Han bliver hos Maria fordi han følger Guds vejledning. Han stoler på, at hun ikke har gjort ham uret, og at Guds ord er sandt.

Josefs accept er et overset mirakel i dag.  Vi kender miraklet om Jesus barnet, og netop det mirakel har en årelang tradition, som vi har brugt hele aftenen på. Vi har spist, drukket og åbnet julegaver i familiens samvær. Miraklet om tømreren Josef; Josef som fulgte Guds ord og blev ved sin kone .  De blev sammen, trods det at de nu udstillede en defekt, som måske var værre end en rød lysende næse.

Lad os fejre, at vores frelser er født og kommet i dag med juleglæde. Lad os være modige i år og svare ja, uanset om vi udstiller røde lysende næser eller må leve i skam efter jordiske normer. Lad os svare ’ja’ når Guds planer åbenbares for os. Guds nåde er kommet over os i dag. Hvordan? Jo, ved at vi vil se verden i et nyt lys, ved at mærke Guds styrke i os. Nåden er håbet, visheden. Nåden er, at vor frelser fjerner vores frygt, ikke vores sorg, tårer eller sygdom, men han fjerner vores frygt og ændrer vores svaghed til styrke.

Rigtig glædelig jul!

 Pastor Jude

English text

I’m sure that we all know at least one of Father Christmas’ reindeer. A reindeer which has a red nose that lights up. Of course it’s Father Christmas’ most well-known reindeer Rudolph, the one with the red nose. Rudolph had a shining red nose at which all the other reindeer laughed and called him nasty names. They never invited Rudolph to play with them and never gave him enough food. But one evening late in December Father Christmas came to him and, in front of all the other reindeer, asked, ‘Rudolph with the red nose. Will you shine the way for me and my sleigh tonight?’ All the other reindeer shouted that he would be the most important reindeer and become famous.

This story about Rudolph is just as actual today, Christmas Eve, because it’s the story about salvation. Let’s look at this quite carefully – had Rudolph been left to himself and not been given help by Father Christmas, well, he could have ended his days as a sad reindeer, with out food and friends and the teasing would have continued year after year. Father Christmas saved him from the evils of the others and gave him the leading role with the sleigh and should now light the way for the other reindeer. Today a similar saviour is born; a saviour who saves us from the teasing and evil and gives us, in stead, the light so that we, in turn, can light the way in this world and lead others into the light.

Today we celebrate this saviour who is born; Jesus, who was born in a little stable without warmth. He came and  lived among us, and what happens now this rainy Christmas Tide? Will Jesus save Rudolph with the red nose and screw off his shiny nose to give it to someone else? Will Jesus take away our illnesses and give us eternal life here on earth? Will Jesus save us from all sorrow and never permit us to shed a tear because the future will be one of constant happiness? No. Rudolph keeps his shiny nose, we must face our illnesses and the tears or sorrow will continue to fall which we have seen so many times before. A saviour is born, a saviour who will see all our weaknesses. Nothing is invisible for him – we can’t hide from him.

Jesus will take all our defects and weaknesses and he will light his light in us so that they can become tools with which we can serve God.

Rudolph was chosen just because of his defect – a red shiny nose and thus he could help Father Christmas. When Jesus was born Joseph was shown to have a defect. We all know very well that at that time it was the man who decided everything. The word of a woman had no value. Now the whole world has been turned upside down and the woman decides everything whilst the man has to be very quiet so that she won’t make trouble. But just think about Joseph. He’d never slept with Mary, they weren’t married and now, suddenly, she was pregnant. Such shame she had to bear and I’m pretty sure most men would have simply left Mary after a noisy row. But not Joseph. He stayed with Mary because he followed God’s advice. He trusted her that she had done nothing wrong and that the word of God was the truth.

That Joseph accepted all this is an overseen miracle today. We know the miracle about Jesus as a child and that this particular miracle has a very long tradition on which we use a whole evening. We have eaten, drunk and opened Christmas presents together with the rest of the family. But the miracle with Joseph the carpenter? Joseph who followed God’s advice and stayed with his wife – they indeed stayed together despite the fact that they had been shown to have a defect which, more than likely, was worse that a red shiny nose.

Let us celebrate that our saviour is born and has come today with the joys of Christmas. Let us be brave this coming year and answer ‘yes’, even though we show our red shiny noses or must live in shame after this world’s norms. Let us answer ‘Yes’ when God’s plans are revealed to us.

The grace of God has come over us today. How? Because we will see the world in a new light by feeling the strength of God in us. Grace is hope and certainty. Grace is that our Saviour removes all our fears, not our sorrows, tears or illnesses, but takes all our fears and changes our weaknesses to strength.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

FatherJude.