The message of Christmas – that Christ came into the world to save sinners and restore our relationship to God – has been declared in Parliament.
Introducing a Westminster Hall debate on Christmas, Christianity and Communities, Nick Fletcher MP urged his colleagues to accept “the greatest gift we can ever be given” by repenting and asking Jesus into their lives.
The Conservative MP for Don Valley emphasised that it “does not matter what you have done in the past. No matter what your thoughts or deeds have been”, simply “ask Him to come into your life and He will”.
‘Christ alone’
Mr Fletcher said that although there will be always be those who “want us to forget the real meaning of Christmas”, Christians must not keep the “wonderful gift of forgiveness and eternal life” to themselves.
Christians must not keep the ‘wonderful gift of forgiveness and eternal life’ to themselves.
He declared: “We celebrate Christmas because of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin named Mary, in a barn — the most unlikely place for the king of kings.”
“He knew he would be crucified, and He was — crucified so that all those who believe in Him will be forgiven. He made the final sacrifice so that we can be right with our maker, not through words or deeds but simply by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”
The MP urged his colleagues: “This Christmas, make that decision to follow Christ and then become part of that community, which can change our society as a whole. We were never meant to be alone. We were meant to be in families and in a community, with faith at the centre of our lives.”
‘Ultimate truth’
In his speech, former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron explained: “Jesus is not tame; Christianity is not tame; and Christmas is not tame, but He is, and they are, good. I would say to people: if you are prepared to allow yourself to be disturbed and offended, you will discover that He is good — good for you, even.”
God looked at the world and saw the mess it was in. He did not hide under the covers; He entered in at enormous cost, because He loves us.
Addressing those who may be reluctant to celebrate Christmas due to the state of the world, he said: “God looked at the world and saw the mess it was in. He did not hide under the covers; He entered in at enormous cost, because He loves us.”
“If the Christmas story is true, yes, it is disturbing, but it means that there is justice. It means that evil does not win; good does. It means that there is love beyond our wildest dreams. It means that there is ultimate truth, and that there is meaning in every life, and in every part of every life.”
DUP MP Jim Shannon added: “When we look at the love of God, which saw the redemption story beginning at Christmas and ending with the resurrection of Christ, the message was clear: God’s unfailing, unending love always wins.”
God’s unfailing, unending love always wins.
Christian heritage
Earlier this year, Mr Fletcher told Parliament that the nation “should be proud of our Christian history and our Christian values”.
In a debate in Westminster Hall on the importance of Christianity in society, he expounded the importance of Christian engagement in society and how famous social reformers of the past were driven to act by their faith in Jesus.
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