Christmas Message

As a child my thoughts about Christmas started on the 1 st of December when we opened our chocolate advent calendar. The word advent is simply the arrival of a notable person or thing.

Christmas begins with the birth of a significant person who is Jesus Christ who has many titles and one of those is king.

We can be excited about Christmas for many good reasons. It is a chance to be on holiday and rest from your studies at school. It is a time when we can enjoy the festivities and it is always a joy to join schools for collective worship and special Christmas nativity services and so remind us of the real meaning of Christmas when a king entered the world.

The season of advent is a journey from the announcement of a birth by the angel Gabriel to the actual birth in a town called Bethlehem. The story of Christmas is the story of how God entered into the world and became flesh and became man in the person of Jesus.

It is an exciting story and an exciting journey by God because it is a story of God’s rescue plan for us. The most famous verse in the bible is probably John 3:16 which says,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The story of advent and Christmas is the story of God’s love for the world which ultimately takes us to Easter. For now, though may we hear the words of the angels when they sang to the Shepherds in the fields.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”

I wish you a very happy Christmas and a peace for the New Year that passes all understanding.

Rev Mark Williams
Christ Church, Sandown