December '10
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“To know Christ and to make him known”
Dear Friends, It’s that time of year again ! I am sure we all have childhood memories of Christmas that we treasure. For me it was a magical time with the excitement of waiting to see what Santa would bring, and waking early on Christmas morning bursting with expectation and an increasing desire to know what was in the colourfully wrapped presents with my name on which were lying invitingly under the tree. I didn’t know what I was getting and had spent days trying to guess the mystery of what the presents might be. St Paul says “I have become its (the church’s)servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been hidden for ages and generations…..which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. (Colossians 1 vv.25 – 27). The coming of Christ was God’s divine truth revealed. The coming of Christ was in God’s plan from the beginning and the Jews had waited in anticipation of his coming for a very long time. Christmas therefore represents the pivotal historical moment in the revelation of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind ; the unwrapping of the mystery was at last taking place. Christ had come to live in us – both Jews and Gentiles. There was one certainty on Christmas Day in my childhood home, and that was that none of my presents would remain unopened ! You may recall the story of Thelma Howard who died in 1981. She had worked faithfully as a maid for a film producer in America, and each Christmas he gave her an envelope. She died a pauper, but when her executors came to go through her belongings after her death, they discovered a draw full of these envelopes unopened. They discovered that the envelopes contained shares in her boss’s company. Her boss was Walt Disney ! All that time living in penury she was not aware that in fact she was a millionaire. Christmas represents the historical fact of the birth of Jesus who came as God’s gift to us – the mystery unwrapped. There are many around us who have not only not unwrapped this present and accepted Christ into their lives as God intended, but there are many who do not know that there is a gift with their name on from God waiting to be unwrapped. I pray that we will, this Christmas, be able to point people to their gift waiting to be opened. I look forward to celebrating with you over this Christmas period the fact that we are the joyful recipients of God’s life giving present to us, but let us also remember those for whom Christmas this year will bring sadness because of the loss of loved ones. May the Christ child be their comfort. I wish you a Happy Christmas and a New Year lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. With my love, David |
