It's harder than usual to get to the heart of Christmas this year. It is obscured by the anxiety of the credit crunch as well as the superficial glitter of Christmas decorations.

But this year’s anxieties, next year’s uncertainties make the true meaning of Christmas even more relevant.

Christmas is about dignity.

It provides the permanent foundation for human dignity and worth.

It is the reason we matter and the reason we should treat one another as people who matter.

John’s Gospel says 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’

When God created the universe complete with its human stewards he said it was very good.

What followed was not good: jealousy, murder, theft, war and the abuse of the earth - the everyday of our global news bulletins.

God’s response was not to give up on us or change his mind about our value but to become one of us instead.

The circumstances of his birth involved an unmarried mum leaving her village to avoid scandal, a marriage nearly ending before it began, a journey no expectant mum would wish on herself, an oppressed people, an occupied land, delivery in a stable, and refugee status to escape a local genocide.

It’s all too contemporary for comfort!

Underlying it all is the fact that human nature has so much dignity its Maker chose to share it - permanently.

Our dignity is not based on our finances or our employment, it is based on God’s commitment to us. That dignity is for life, not just for Christmas.