Who we are/Kevin's letter
Kevin's occasional letter
CHRISTMAS 2023
Messy Christmas!
Some Christmas cards present a pretty winter scene, a beautifully decorated tree, a smiling Santa or an image from bygone times. Occasionally we might get one depicting the Christmas Story and then it might be a quaint rustic stable, with beautifully clean straw, an immaculately presented mother of the newborn baby, and ruddy shepherds, one carrying a spotless little lamb...
Then we might feel under pressure to achieve a wonderful Christmas with perfect dinners, stylish decoration, and presents that are just right for everyone. But it’s not like that is it? For some in our town there will be no Merry Christmas, and no Christmas dinner to speak of, or no-one with whom to share the day. Even for those fortunate enough to have a nice home and a secure income it is no guarantee of good health and happiness.
Christmastime can be messy. That’s because life is messy. And at the first Christmas, God showed he understood coming to live with us in this messy world. He chose an ordinary craftsman and his very young wife to be the earthly parents of Jesus; and the circumstances of the Roman census led them to travel all the way to Bethlehem when the baby was due. Shut out of inns, they were forced to spend the night in a messy stable - Mary giving birth there, laying the baby in a cattle feeding trough and then visited by messy shepherds in the middle of the night when you’d think she needed some rest! When you think about it, it’s quite a shocking picture yet one made so beautiful. Yes, we have made it beautiful with our paintings and music, Christmas cards, nativity plays and costumes – but God has made it beautiful as a picture of his love for all people, that He quite literally entered into all this mess so he could be with us and give us a fresh start.
So whatever mess we are facing this Christmas, whether it is deeply personal, or something affecting our community, or a seemingly impossible situation in far off part of the world (and there’s plenty of it) - we know that God will face it with us for He has been there, done it, and got the messy tee-shirt...
Happy (Messy) Christmas
Kevin
Kevin's occasional letter
CHRISTMAS 2023
Messy Christmas!
Some Christmas cards present a pretty winter scene, a beautifully decorated tree, a smiling Santa or an image from bygone times. Occasionally we might get one depicting the Christmas Story and then it might be a quaint rustic stable, with beautifully clean straw, an immaculately presented mother of the newborn baby, and ruddy shepherds, one carrying a spotless little lamb...
Then we might feel under pressure to achieve a wonderful Christmas with perfect dinners, stylish decoration, and presents that are just right for everyone. But it’s not like that is it? For some in our town there will be no Merry Christmas, and no Christmas dinner to speak of, or no-one with whom to share the day. Even for those fortunate enough to have a nice home and a secure income it is no guarantee of good health and happiness.
Christmastime can be messy. That’s because life is messy. And at the first Christmas, God showed he understood coming to live with us in this messy world. He chose an ordinary craftsman and his very young wife to be the earthly parents of Jesus; and the circumstances of the Roman census led them to travel all the way to Bethlehem when the baby was due. Shut out of inns, they were forced to spend the night in a messy stable - Mary giving birth there, laying the baby in a cattle feeding trough and then visited by messy shepherds in the middle of the night when you’d think she needed some rest! When you think about it, it’s quite a shocking picture yet one made so beautiful. Yes, we have made it beautiful with our paintings and music, Christmas cards, nativity plays and costumes – but God has made it beautiful as a picture of his love for all people, that He quite literally entered into all this mess so he could be with us and give us a fresh start.
So whatever mess we are facing this Christmas, whether it is deeply personal, or something affecting our community, or a seemingly impossible situation in far off part of the world (and there’s plenty of it) - we know that God will face it with us for He has been there, done it, and got the messy tee-shirt...
Happy (Messy) Christmas
Kevin