A Christmas message from Rev Anne Christmas is such a special time of year but it’s also a difficult time for many. This year we have the added stress of wondering what we should or should not do, due to the ongoing pandemic. Our Christmas festival is part of our own faith story, however, and we recall the prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Immanuel, which means, literally translated, God with us. Here is our perfect gift, this child, God made man. He comes to us in the messiness of human life. He is born in a stable, full of mess and noise, a far cry from our traditional image of sweet little nativity plays which are seen in Nativity plays up and down the country, even if many have been online this year. And Christmas begins once again. Christmas, where Christ comes to us as a baby. We marvel at this gift of the Incarnate God, and we rejoice that Christ is here among us. Yes, a helpless baby lying in a manger, but also God in all His deity. It’s a lot to get our heads round. For we know the baby grows up to be the adult Jesus who constantly challenges us, who calls us to follow him. Christmas begins on December 25th; it does not end then! We continue to reflect on God’s gift to us, the gift of his Son, as we move towards Epiphany. Of course, this is our feast of title, and we will celebrate on January 6th with a full sung Eucharist. What are we celebrating? We remember and retell the story of the wise men who journeyed to visit the young child. It has two things for us to think about; firstly, that the word ‘epiphany’ means revelation or sudden awakening. Those moments when God breaks through into our lives are true epiphany moments and we need to be awake to notice them. Secondly, God reveals himself as the God of all, not only the God of Israel and the Jews but the God of all. May we all be blessed with moments to prepare ourselves for the rebirth of the Christ-child into our lives, as we continue to follow in His ways. With my prayers that you will be blessed with a peaceful and happy Christmas, Rev Anne