A Letter from the Minister

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”)……. Matthew 1:23

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life……. John 3:16

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! ……. 2 Corinthians 9: 15

Are you ready for Christmas? Are the plans being made? Have you thought of the presents and gifts for family and friends.  Have you been given lists to help with your decisions, or have you been left to your own thoughts and imaginations?

I wonder….. if God asked for your Christmas list…… what would you put on it?

Would it have solely been “Jesus”, “Immanuel” (God with us), a baby?

A preacher once asked, “What do you give as a gift to the person who has everything?”, and someone in the congregation answered “Love”.

The Christmas season is a good time to remember God’s gift to us, given through love, in the vulnerability of a baby.

This year, as we approach Advent and Christmas, we are invited to reflect on the word “Gifted” in our Sunday worship and throughout each week.   For us to think about

-        People are a gift – all made by God with love.

-        Church community is a gift – supporting, helping and loving other.

-        Jesus is the ultimate gift – freely given

This gives us so many ways to journey towards Christmas Day.

Can we think about those who are “gifts” to us, by how they have treat us and help us in our community, our workplaces, our schools, our streets, and can we say “thank you” to them and perhaps invite them to our Christmas services?

Can we reflect on this last year, and our own church community, remembering all who have supported us, encouraged us and been a gift to us, and can we say “thank you” to them?

And can we pause and reflect on all that it means to have a faith and a life-changing relationship with Jesus.  That Jesus is the gift we receive each Christmas, born afresh amongst us, and can we say “thank you” to God?

I leave you with the final words of this year’s John Lewis™ Christmas advert :

“If you can’t find the words, find the gift”.

I pray that you and your families have a blessed Christmas, and for each of us, we will find a time to stop and allow God to speak to our hearts and lives.

Jimmy