“IF WE keep him in the manger, then there is no danger from the Christmas child”. Thus go the words of a modern day Christmas carol written by Graham Kendrick.

Even in our secular world, almost everyone will have now packed away their nativity scenes along with the rest of the Christmas lights and decorations, not to be seen again until next December.

But Jesus did not remain a baby in a manger. He grew up to live out and teach the most outrageous life message, confounding both the religious and the intellectual whilst delighting ordinary folk.

Ultimately, he freely gave up his life to set us free from all the stuff in our lives that we know to be rotten, but which we seem powerless to deal with, opening the way for a new life of peace and relationship with God.

Kendrick’s song continues: “Let this child be born in your heart.”

You can choose to pack away your baby Jesus in a manger, forgetting about him until next Christmas – and nothing will change. Or, you can take a risk. Let him be born in your heart now and, by the time you get the decorations out again next year, you could find your life has been transformed – from the inside out.