Christmas Message

Christmas is a time of hope and expectation, the shops are already full of baubles, decorations and Christmas cards and the sales on Black Friday are upon us, however the world is a very dangerous place. The Middle East, the area where Jesus was born is at war, people have lost homes families livelihoods, many living in refugee camps. We sometimes wonder where God is in all of this.

He must be looking down on the world and wondering exactly where it has all gone wrong, and it has gone wrong because we have forgotten him. Today, the world is seemingly so concerned with itself, the ‘I’ is more important than the ‘we’ or the ‘us’. People are increasingly becoming more and more selfish, rushing around to be the first at everything. In a way this is not unlike the situation that Jesus himself was born into. Under Roman occupation the Jews became concerned for themselves, the poor, the under privileged and the disabled were all neglected.

A moment on that starry night, one star lit the world, pointing to the Light of the World, the One who would open the eyes for all to see. Never more did the world that we now live in, need the light, need this child, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For many, Christmas is a story, a time when they can ask for whatever it is that they want, the real meaning of Christmas gets lost amongst such greed. It is our job, it is our time, to spread the good news of the light, of the hope, that is born in this child at Christmas.

I find it more and more difficult to find religious advent calendars or religious cards, yet I still ask. I do not wish to conform to taking Christ out of Christmas. So, I refuse to buy any cards that are not religious. At this Christmas time we need to shout from the church, Jesus is the One who will bring us hope, He is the One who will bring us peace, He is the One who will make us look towards others before we look towards ourselves.

My prayer this Christmas time is that individuals will see Jesus for who He is and will follow Him, and in doing so, will find that peace, that love, that joy and the hope that is to be found at Christmas.

May God bless you all at this time

Julie