THIS week I want to concentrate on these words from John's gospel, chapter 15 and verse 22: "If I had not come..."

A story is told of a clergyman who fell asleep on Christmas Eve and dreamed of a world without Jesus. There were no stockings to be filled, no churches anywhere, and nothing could be found that related to the birth of the Saviour. During his dream he opened the Bible and was horrified to discover it ended with the book of Malachi. There was no New Testament.

Suddenly he awoke to hear the choir singing in the church and realised the awful things seen in his sleep were illusions. But he was left to consider what the world would be like if the Son of God had not come to Bethlehem.

Firstly, if Christ had not come - prayer would be impossible. In the ancient world, only special people had access to God. Moses went into the mountain to meet the Almighty; Isaiah, Daniel and others prayed and received responses from heaven, but such experiences were unknown among ordinary citizens.

Prayer might be likened to a telephone call to heaven - a call necessitating the assistance of an operator. Jesus is always on duty to put callers through. If the Saviour had not come, there would be no Calvary, no gospel and no hope for those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Again, if Christ had not come, there would be no Easter. If Christ had not risen triumphantly from the tomb, then man's greatest enemy would have remained unchallenged.

The Christian gospel has brought new hope to mankind; it supplies a purpose for living and the assurance that beyond the grave awaits a better and brighter world.

This week's thought: Some people are more interesting when they are silent.