"Christmas is coming!"

I wonder what that brings to mind for you? Snowflakes? Trees? Presents? Food? Family? Carols?

Hopefully there is a baby in a feeding trough somewhere in there too!

I think we all know Christmas is going to be very different for us all this year. Some may be missing loved ones for very many reasons. We may not be able to get together with all the family, Or even some.

Personally I think this gives even more reason to remind ourselves and those we care about of the amazing gift of Christmas! Not the presents wrapped up with bows or the delicious food, But the tiny helpless baby who came from the presence of God, who has seen the face of God, who is God! Wrapped in cloth lying in a feeding trough in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago. That same baby growing up and taking the sin of the whole world upon himself, because he was man and is at the same time God in flesh! No one else could or would do.

Now I know it "probably wasn't 25th December" when he was born, and I know "there is too much secularisation",  but the point is even those who don't know Him personally have some kind of inkling about this time of year. All those centuries of carol services, nativity plays etc have left some kind of imprint. This year I'm planning to get to grips with my Christmas cards, I want to take this chance to point others toward Christ the best gift ever, the One who stops our loneliness, who forgives our sin, who heals our broken hearts The One who is still God With Us.

Please don't think this is a hard sell campaign. It isn't. I'm not going to show you our Christmas stock right now. Maybe some other time.

God bless.

Lydia