It has felt quite a shock to experience the cold and the snow this week, but as I was walking my mad dog in the snow I was just delighted by the beauty of Hirstwood and I could not believe how blessed I was to be here and in this place of such beauty and calm. This year we are going to be focusing on thinking about how as Christians we need to find a bit of calm and peace as we wait in anticipation for Christ’s birthday.
We can get so geared up and stressed with all the activities and expectations that sometimes we lose sight of what it is we are really doing and hoping for in this Christmas period. I hope that you will be able to pick up one of the little booklets (at the back of church) which aim to help us to reflect each day throughout December, as wait for Christmas morning. The focus of these booklets is Follow the Star – calm and bright, looking at ways that during the time advent, we can stay calm but also that we can be the shining stars ourselves.
Please do take a copy or ask someone to bring one to you (if you are unable to get to church – they are at the back of church) and if you can, we are asking for a £2 contribution to help cover the cost.
I love that the focus is about staying calm so we can be bright…because after all if Christmas is all about being stressed, we miss the amazing fact of what it is we are celebrating and remember and looking forward to – that God came in to our world in a way that was so accessible for all people and that He will come again!
So as we look forward to Christmas and remember that Christ is the King, I pray that we are all filled with joy and can sing hosanna for the blessings we have received and find ourselves getting excited about the time to come.
