First of all, let me say, a very happy St Nicolas Patronal Festival to all of you!

Some of you may know that when I first began to attend the Anglican Church in Utrecht, I was a bit on the fence with faith, and for months I went up for a blessing rather than communion as I wasn’t quite sure if and what I believed. Until, over time – no dramatic conversion story here – I found I did believe those words I prayed in church and I decided I would start receive communion. 

As the offertory hymn was announced and the collection basket was passed round, I realised I did not have any money with me. And I remember thinking, that is quite fitting. God doesn’t need anything from me, God doesn’t need my money or my gifts, I am invited to receive communion regardless of what I, literally, bring to the table.

And I believe this applies to all of us. All are welcome, regardless of who we are and what we bring, our Lord longs for us to receive Him. 

And often now, when I as a priest receive the offertory (while you are singing the hymn) I include in the blessing of it some of my favourite words in the Bible that I heard my priest then say at the offertory: ‘For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.’ (1 Chronicles 29:14)

It is a crucial principle in the Bible. We are only stewards, only residents and guests, and all things we so often consider as our own are not really ours, but as belonging to God.

The Year of Jubilee It is this rule that lies at the basis of the civic and economic system in the Old Testament.

Our reading from Isaiah refers to the year of the Lord’s favour, which is a reference to the Old Testament institution in Jewish civic law of the year of Jubilee. In Leviticus 25 this is described in more detail, but essentially, when Israel receives the land, it is ordered to give the land a year of rest every seven years, and then after seven times seven years, to have a year of Jubilee. When not only the land gets a rest, also all land that had to be sold because of poverty during these 50 years is returned to original owners, and all those who had been enslaved because of debt were freed.

Because, God says in Leviticus 25: ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, the land belongs to me, you are guests and residents with me’ (Lev. 25:23).

The passage we read from Isaiah 61 is quoted by Jesus at the start of his ministry, saying that these words are now fulfilled (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus is the one who brings good news to the oppressed, bind up the broken-hearted, proclaims liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

As I say so often from this place, through the charity of billions of Christians following in Jesus footsteps this is the effect the Kingdom of Heaven has had in the world.

And our patron saint Nicolas is of course one of many who did not only as a bishop proclaim the good news to the oppressed and broken-hearted, but who also did something about it, by giving the three bags of gold you can see on the statue as dowries to three girls who because of their poverty would otherwise have been forced into lives of prostitution.

Being like children Our patron saint is a wonderful example of generosity, but actually, today I don’t want to talk about giving, but about receiving. Sometimes it is said that as a church we don’t talk enough about giving, but I think we talk even less about receiving.

Our Gospel reading is one of those moments that Jesus takes children as an example for us. Jesus tells us in our Gospel reading that ‘whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it’. What does he mean with this?

Well, I think at this time of the year that this is easy to see. Children are far better at receiving than us as adults. Children open a present eagerly and joyfully, they don’t ever seem to doubt if the present is really for them, and they never seem to wonder if there is such a thing as ‘too many presents’. Also, but this may only apply to younger children, they don’t really look at the cost of the present. They have not yet learnt our sin to value everything in money and estimate what we mean to someone by the monetary value of the gift we receive.

And they ask unembarrassedly, without hesitation, for the presents they want. Again, unlike us, who always feel like when we receive something we really ought to do or give something back, they just ask for whatever they would like and accept happily if they receive it.

And I catch myself regularly teaching them otherwise, and telling them that the fun we’ve just had or the present they have just received means they now also ought to behave. Undoubtedly a very natural tendency, but it teaches them that gifts are actually not free, that every gift has a catch, and it stops us ourselves from giving freely, without making everything into a transaction that needs to be of economic value. Anyway, I promise, I am working on that!

Being with and for Children And our Gospel reading talks about the importance of being there with and for children.

In The Netherlands we have many songs in which we ask St Nicolas to come round and bring presents, but one of his informal honorary titles in The Netherlands is that of being a ‘Great Friend to Children’.

I imagine we might say the same if we look at how Jesus is telling the children to come to him, and takes them in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Preparing this sermon I came across a quote of George MacDonald, a nineteenth century Scottish who strongly inspired C.S. Lewis, who once said that he didn’t believe in someone’s Christianity if there were never children to be found playing around his door. 

It is so important for us as a church to be there for the children, to welcome them, to help the next generation. It is a responsibility that can weigh heavily on parents, how do I help my children to know God, how do I teach them to follow Jesus? And it is a responsibility that weighs heavily on the wider church family. While we don’t get it all right, it is why we work really hard as a church to make children feel welcome and at home in church – and we don’t mind if they make a bit of noise! And why it is so important to do Trackers at every main service, and why we try to help and support parents as much as we can in helping them to teach their children about God. If you are one of those parents, please receive without feeling guilty that you can’t do much back now. Just feel welcome to joyfully, shamelessly and eagerly receive. 

I am really grateful my children have this church family, and there are quite a few people of very different ages at church who my children now refer to as ‘their friends’. Every time I hear them say that it brings a big smile to my face. To know for my children to have friends of all ages who are followers of Jesus too. It’s the Christian family at its best.

May we be a Church that is a great friend to children like our patron St Nicolas, may we be as generous as he was, but may we also be able to gratefully receive Jesus’ Kingdom and his love, light, joy and peace that he longs to give us.

And may we receive Jesus’ Kingdom with the same joy and eagerness as a child that unwraps a present under the Christmas Tree.

Amen.