As November leaves us and December comes round we find ourselves moving from autumn to winter. November is, for the church, a time of remembrance and for me personally it has been a season of loss as we have had a family bereavement. It makes you very aware of how precious life is and has been a time when I have been drawn closer to God. Particularly the God depicted in the Footprints poem. If you haven’t read it, Google it (other search engines are available!), it’s a good read.
But now we turn from that and begin to look forward to Christmas. During advent we remember that there is new life coming. We celebrate the birth of a baby who, even if you don’t believe He was the Son of God, unarguably changed the world. I personally do believe that He was God and Man and that He died for us. And, at this time of year, we therefore celebrate coming out of darkness into light, from death to life and from sin to salvation.
I am looking forward to the lights and I hope that they will serve as a comfort and a reminder of why Jesus came. In the Bible, the book of John chapter 3, verse 17 says:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Or, in the words of a poem written by some teenagers I grew up with:
“Coming through the worlds deep darkness,
Coming down to seek his own
Coming as a tiny baby
Jesus made this earth His home.”
You are very welcome to come and celebrate with us this year, we’d love to have you!
Olivia Egan (on behalf of the leadership team)