Rector's Letter

Christmas is worth celebrating

Christmas is a busy time and not just for me. It can also be a tense time, with bills mounting up, presents to buy and send, meals to cook or eat, places to go and people to see. With all this business it is so easy to miss the joy of Christmas. So many adults say to me that Christmas is only special if there are children around. It is true that children's excitement adds a very special feel to Christmas. But Christmas is not just for the children. Christmas is for all of us. Christmas is a time for all of us to celebrate because at Christmas we are remembering the time when God became a human being and became part of this world of ours.

This is worth celebrating because through Jesus, God is showing us that He isn't a distant, remote God, far removed from our concerns. Jesus was born to make it clear that He cares about this world and each of us, enough to join us here. We no longer have to try and relate to an infinite God. After that first Christmas we only have to look to Jesus to find out what God is like: More accurately we now only have to look to Jesus to see what God would be like if he were a human being like us.

Christmas is worth celebrating because it marks the point when God became one of us. Through the Jesus, we can become the whole, contented and joyful people we were designed to be. So please in the midst of the business take the time to remember the reason for Christmas, smile and dive wholeheartedly into the party.

Happy Christmas,

Revd Nigel Tuffnell