AT Christmas we are invited to remember the time, the place and the manner in which God himself drew near to us. We recall that the initiator of the universe didn’t make himself bigger to impress us, instead he made himself smaller to attract us. He came to us as a new-born baby.
Now we know there’s something about babies which draws love from us… ask any parent. Even strangers in the street will stop and talk and admire. The vulnerability and the wonder of a baby delights us and pulls us in. Out of all the possibilities available to him, this is how God chose to reveal himself to us. What does that say about him?
At the first Christmas, some people were walking in darkness and despair, times were very hard. Tragically that is still true for many today. Then a light came into the world, shining all the brighter because of the enveloping gloom. That true light of the world is Jesus and it first shines from an animal feeding trough in the darkness of a borrowed stable. At first, not many people realised what was going on, but over time more and more people have come to believe that this was the start of something new and wonderful for the whole world.
So this Christmas, let the love and the light of Christ draw you closer to God. Let his love reach out to you and let your heart and mind respond to him. Happy Christmas.
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us’. Matthew 1:23
The Rt Rev Dr Chris Goldsmith,
Bishop of St Germans