The Rector’s December letter

Dear Friends,

The Season of Advent is again upon us.  We get ready again to prepare for the birth of Jesus, our Saviour, in a manger in Bethlehem, at Christmastime. We remember how God had promised his people such a Saviour long ago through his prophets. We hear again how a young woman accepts the privilege of being chosen to be Jesus’ mother and how an expectant nation is called upon to change their ways by John the Baptist.

In the person of Jesus Christ, God was about to do something totally new. God was going to be born as one of us. He was going to experience human life, with all of its highs and lows for himself, including the feelings of rejection and pain, when his only Son was put to death by those he had created and come to redeem. Ultimately, that pain and suffering would be transformed by his resurrection.

Jesus’ coming to us at Christmas has a specific purpose. He shows us what God is like and the standards of behaviour that he expects from us. Through faith in him, He also enables our wrongdoing to be forgiven and provides us with a way back into a relationship with God, which transcends even death itself. That is a mark of just how much He loves us.

As we rush around during Advent to get ready for Christmas, take time out to thank God for the birth of his Son Jesus Christ, for He is the real reason why we celebrate.

A Happy and peaceful Christmas to you all!

Andrew