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What does a Christmas Cake and the Christian Life have in Common?
Today, we’re going to make something – something that we can all share in (x) weeks time!
Do any of you know what this could be? So what ingredients do we need?

Our first ingredients are butter & sugar. [Placed in bowl]
· Butter & sugar are nice & sweet things - just like our lives should be like.
Lives of sweetness & goodness - full of love, kindness, caring and always ready to share with others.
· And, of course, Jesus tells us that this is how Christians are to live. (inc. Galatians 5:22)

So Jesus’ first coming showed us how we should live BUT there’s more – he also offered us all new life. What symbol or object do we often use to remind ourselves about New Life?

Our next ingredients are eggs. [Brought up & cracked into bowl]
· Eggs remind us of new life & new beginnings. We usually associate eggs with Easter, but today we especially remember the new life that came to us in the form of that baby of Bethlehem.
· At the same time we're also reminded of the new hope & beginnings that we all have in Christ.
· It reminds us of the new life that Jesus brings to this world.

Our next ingredients are flour & wine. [Flour & wine brought up & placed in bowl]
· Flour and Wine remind us of what we celebrate at Communion
- we share bread made from flour and we drink wine - just as Jesus instructed us to do.
· And of course, flour also helps to bind the cake together.
· And so, as we add these ingredients we remember with joy that Jesus came to save us and that we are called to be a distinctive community bound together by our common calling to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

(NB: If wine isn’t needed, pour a glass and drink it! – and add brandy etc instead!)

Then we have the Spices that remind us of our visitors.
· People who because they are new to our services add spice & flavour as they join with us in celebrating God's love & joy.
· So let's ask a visitor to come on up & add the spice to our birthday cake. [Visitor brings spices up & adds to bowl]

Our final batch of ingredients is the mixed fruit. [Brought up & added to bowl].
· The mixed fruit reminds us of each other – we’re all different ‘unique unrepeatable miracles’. Together we make up the body of Christ – together we are the Church and when we all work together, then the world can learn and see our faith in action.