Happy Christmas! May you and all your family have a peaceful, joyful Christmas and New Year.
I don’t know about you but December always seems very very busy so if we’re not careful Christmas Day can suddenly jump up on us. We can feel that we have to have everything sorted to have the perfect Christmas for everyone but that is not what Christmas is about. The first Christmas just over 2000 years ago was certainly not organised, not very pretty and full of unexpected surprises as Mary and Joseph found themselves in a cow shed away from home and family having their first born child. Angels, shepherds and kings surprised them with their appearances and there was much celebrating of the birth of this child who was God born in human flesh but it was certainly not what you would have planned for the birth of your first child in first century Palestine.
The message of Christmas is that in all the messiness and busyness of everyday life God is with us. God is here and we don’t have to have life all sorted out and perfect before we can meet him. He is here and he loves us more than we can ever imagine.
However you celebrate your Christmas I hope you are able to enjoy a lovely time with your loved ones over the Christmas period. I hope when it arrives that you will have time to stop and enjoy spending time together which is far more precious than any presents we may give or receive.
At St John’s Church and St Mark’s Church we are looking forward to our Christmas services and you will see details of the times and dates here in the Crier and on our facebook page and website https://stjohnschurchshildon.org.uk.
It would be lovely if you would like to join us as we gather to celebrate again Jesus’ birth in the familiar carols and bible readings. We have a range of services. At Shildon these range from the family nativity service at 4pm on Christmas Eve when the children have a chance to get dressed up and join in the drama to the traditional carols by candlelight with the memory tree to remember loved ones on December 22nd at 6pm and the traditional midnight Communion on Christmas Eve at 11.15pm. At Eldon these include the Community Carol service on the 11th December and the Christmas Eve service at 6pm.
However you celebrate Christmas this year, may you know that God is with you and that he loves you.
With my best wishes,
Rev’d Carol (Priest in charge St John’s Shildon and St Mark’s Eldon)
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
