What a strange time of year this is. Darker, colder, harder. And brimming with mystery and weird hope. Advent serves as a kind of long dawn, leading us towards the disarming light of a vulnerable, sweet, refugee baby who is God with us, kingdom come, Emmanuel. Little Jesus: glorious, outrageous disrupter.

In the sometimes troubling and overwhelming personal circumstances of our days and nights, in the pervasively unbalanced state of our world, the magic of this time of year invites us for a moment to suspend business as usual. We raise our heads from normal life and see something beyond the soulless powers and systems we all must operate within. God is here with us. Hope becomes a peaceful, resolute protest.

Enjoy the twinkly lights and sparkles in all their loveliness: they symbolise that stubborn, determined Christmas hope, shining out joy in the murky darkness, representing a love that knows no bounds, encompassing us all. The little baby Jesus from your nativity scene is offering every one of us a peace that runs deeper.

Peace be with you this Christmas time.

With love and prayers,

Rev Angie x