Minister’s Message
Did you miss it? “Did I miss what?” you ask. “Did you miss Christmas?”
It always seems to me that if you blink… you may miss it.
Let me say what I mean:
-You meet a friend at the beginning of December and have a chat; as you leave each
other your friend says: “well, if I don’t see you again, have a happy Christmas”.
-On the last day at the office, or school, or college or at the local community
Christmas party people say: “well, have a happy Christmas”.
-You go shopping on Christmas Eve and the girl on the check-out at the supermarket, whom you’ve never seen before, says: “well, have a good Christmas”.
-You leave church after the midnight communion service and your friend says: “well,
have a happy Christmas”.
On Boxing Day you wake up and decide to go and get some fresh air and exercise.
Your bump into your next door neighbours and they ask: “did you have a nice
Christmas?” - “did you have a nice Christmas?”
Surely, Christmas is not truncated into one short period of 24 hours?
The Christmas season actually lasts for 40 days leading up to Candlemass on February 2nd, when we recall Mary and Joseph at the Temple with Jesus and the encounter with Simeon and Anna.
But in another way Christmas, the coming of Jesus among us is something we can celebrate every day. Jesus is Emmanuel- God with us.
May we know the presence of God within our lives each and every day. To know that God is with us, in the ups and the downs of life, in the tragedies and in the joy and celebrations.
May you know his peace, his hope, his joy, his love.
With love
Jane
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