Dear Friends 

 I can hardly believe that Christmas is almost upon us. Yesterday (23rd Nov- ember) saw Rostherne Church celebrating its Christingle and Crib service, my desk currently has Advent services and Carol services all over it, and hopeful ly in the next few days I will finally put together all the services planned for this special time of year. I would urge you all to look at the calendar in this issue so that you do not miss any of the opportunities which each of our churches offer during this Christmas season – and why not bring along a friend to a service; they might just enjoy it.

 Christmas is fast approaching…..and this year, for some reason, I really do not feel ready. And yet, even though I personally do not feel ready to look at the Birth of our Lord at this moment, even though I am already putting together the diary for next year and have thought about what we might do at Easter in 2026!!, I am still struggling to reconcile the fact that Christmas Day is just a month away!

 My Matthew came up with a little gem about this fact when he said to me in Cornwall a good few years ago: ‘You know, Daddy, I really think that Christmas is better here in Cornwall. The decorations don’t go up too early and people seem to appreciate spending time to slowly get ready. In the city lots of people by now would already have their decorations up, and cannot stop talking about Christmas, and I don’t think that is right.’

 Right or not, so many people seem to be fixated with Christmas, the prepara tion, the decoration, the visiting, they are so preoccupied with the process that they miss the point - the birth of a small child who would change the world, and will still do so if we just let Him. 

 How can you prepare for something like that? How can we ever be ready to receive our Lord?

 All I can do is pray. Pray each day that all that I do is in the name of the Lord, putting everything that I do before the throne of God as my offering, my gift to the Christ Child, who gave His life so that I might live.

 This Christmas, don’t get sucked into the consumerism that seems to run right through society. Instead make sure that you appreciate those who you love, those who love you, and appreciate our surroundings and all that God has given to us, and offer that to God as your gift to Him this Christmas - and of course you are all invited to attend His birthday party in church on Christmas Day.

 May I take this opportunity of wishing you all a Very Blessed Christmas and Joyful New Year.

 Yours in Christ Robert