CRU Update
With Christmas only a few weeks away, this week, we looked at the Christmas story and, in particular, the necessity to centralise it amongst our festive celebrations amidst many other distractions. Rev Benn began the Bible reading on the first few chapters of Luke, focusing on the nativity scene as Jesus is born.
Afterwards, we were lucky enough to hear a talk from Tom, a speaker from CRU. After a quick Christmas game where groups had to think and sing Christmas carols on the spot (shoutout to Joel Gilmour for coming up with some bangers), Tom helpfully delved into the joyousness of the Christmas story. He drew upon the verse Luke 1:44, “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy”. However, the modern perception of Christmas has often been lost in festive celebrations and gifts and relaxing with friends are unconsciously prioritised over Jesus’s birth.
Although these celebrations are good things in themselves, Tom reminded us it was essential to remember what Christmas is truly about – which is to celebrate God and Jesus’ coming to earth. Next time we open a Christmas cracker, there are three things inside it that we can use to think of Jesus. Firstly, the gift inside reminds us that Jesus is God’s gift to us, and highlights God’s grace for humanity. Secondly, the paper crown represents Jesus being God’s King, and thirdly, the Christmas joke often found inside reminds us that Jesus came to bring us joy. Following Jesus is not a sacrifice for us – instead, we can come closer to God and thus achieve eternal joy of knowing God. This analogy is not only a great way to remember the deeper meaning behind Christmas, but also great for sharing the word with your family and friends the next time you open a Christmas cracker.
Moving forward, we will have Junior CRU on Thursday lunchtimes for Years 7 to 8 and Senior CRU on Friday lunchtimes for Years 9 to 11, and we will be looking deeper into the Christian narrative. CRU is open to everyone – in particular, you don’t need to be Christian or understand anything about Christianity. CRU is a great way to learn more about Jesus over a soft drink and a sausage whether you are a Christian already or considering becoming one.
Jayden Pan
10 GR3