A word from our Minister - Rev Iris Musgrove            

The Message of Christmas

I was in the centre of Bradford in the middle of November and spent a short amount of time looking at the lights and Santa’s grotto in the Kirkgate centre. There was plenty to see, but no obvious sign of the meaning of Christmas. This seems the same for the people of other faiths who live in Bradford, who have had, or will have had, celebrations before the end of December. There are plenty of lights, fireworks, presents with greetings, to show something is happening, but little visible sign of the meaning of the festival. 

The story we remember at Christmas is told in our schools and churches through music and drama, but seldom spoken about in the media. This story of a boy born in difficult circumstances, in an occupied country where a census led to him being born in a stable, his first cradle being an animal’s feeding trough, and the visits by the shepherds and magi, can leave us with a warm feeling. But do we really look at and understand the meaning behind it all? 

We need to turn to the passage at the start of John’s Gospel to try and understand what it is all about. This starts by telling us that Jesus existed as part of the Godhead since before creation. God had tried many different ways to communicate with people, but they used their freedom to ignore or disobey him. It was at the right time that God finally sent Jesus to be a human being with all the joys and pains that we experience on earth. It is by his complete identification with us leading to a very painful death, that we know God loves us and will do everything to save us. He asks that we accept his love, and show that love to others.

May this Christmas be a time that you know you are loved and receive God’s peace.

Iris