Dear Friends
Throughout November and December winter fully sets in, it gets cold and dark. Nevertheless, these months are peppered with so much to look forward to, from fireworks to Christmas.
When I was a child and Christmas was on the horizon, I’d scour the heavy Littlewoods catalogue, matching product to price, finding that realistically priced present. I can’t imagine any child doing that now, instead you might find your ‘virtual’ amazon trolly full of your child’s (or partner’s) stuff, just one click away from arriving on your doorstep, how times change.
It might feel very different to how it used to, the winter period and Christmas, but the message of Christmas doesn’t change, it’s still the familiar story that we retell year after year. That God comes near earth in the person of his son Jesus of Nazareth. The beauty of a baby, a token of reconciliation from God to people. Listen to how Matthew describes Joseph’s reflection on the gift of Jesus to the world.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ (1:20-21)
In these coming months it is good to take time to remember the greatest gift of love, the gift of God, Jesus. There is a long way between here and Christmas, but it gets busy, so grant yourself time to enjoy Jesus along the way. Through December we’ll be using a resource from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity called ‘Down to Earth’, you will be able to access this through an app called the YouVersion Bible, or email, even print if you prefer.
So, start preparing, to put Jesus at the centre of winter and Christmas.
Every blessing.
Gavin