It is a joy for me and my family to celebrate our second Christmas together with you, the St Christopher’s Church Family. Our hearts are filled with joy as we prepare to celebrate, once again, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And with that joy comes a firm and confident hope in the sure promise of our Lord’s return in glory and the full coming of His Kingdom. Maranatha – come, Lord Jesus!
Every year has its own challenges, but 2022 has been a fantastic year for St Christopher’s. We’ve seen growth across our ministries this year – from our children’s programmes through to our programmes for the elderly and our services for the wider community such as Goodwill and Market Morning. Our contemporary service has seen solid growth, and our multicultural ministries (Chinese and RSE) have grown as well. We praise God for all that we have achieved this year. This Christmas is an opportunity for us to thank the Lord for all His blessings and provisions to us over this period.
But I know 2022 has been a challenging period for some people because of all sorts of problems: health, family, finances, and the like. The economic uncertainties are affecting all of us, and some are fearful of what the future holds. Nevertheless the promises of God for us remain true and sure. The familiar Scripture passages of the Christmas story contain many themes, including, “Do not fear.” The shepherds, as well as Mary, Joseph, and Zechariah all needed this reassurance from the Lord:
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10–11).
As we celebrate this joyful season, we are ever mindful of those we know who are journeying with serious illness at this time and / or struggling with life-changing decisions. Let us uphold these dear friends before the throne of grace, confident in the promises of God, and believing that there is nothing that can separate us from His love and gracious presence.
On this note I would like invite you to join us this Saturday the 24th at 9.00PM for a Christmas Candlelight Communion Service, and on Sunday the 25th at 10:30AM for our Christmas Day Family Service (with Communion). Both services will be streamed on our YouTube channel and can be accessed on these links:
I am eager to see what God has in store for us in the new year and how our lives and ministries will be transformed in ways we could never imagine. I am grateful for all the ways you support our church and I pray that you will continue to do so with your prayers, presence, service, gifts and witness in 2023.
This Christmas, may you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the Magi, and the peace of the Christ Child.
