Dear Friends,

I wonder if you have a favourite Christmas film. One of my favourites is 'Arthur Christmas' – the story of Father Christmas' clumsy, youngest son's attempt to deliver a lost present to a child. One of Arthur's most endearing qualities is his absolute certainty of the 'magic' of Christmas – where extraordinary can things happen, even delivering presents to every child in the world in one night, and being kind to each other. On one night each year.

The birth of Jesus took place on one night, but its impact continues to be experienced over two thousand years later. Not magical but divine.

As we hear the story of Jesus' birth this Christmas, whether it is for the first time or the thousandth, let's pay attention to both the ordinary and the extraordinary elements woven within it. And this mix of ordinary and extraordinary would continue to be a feature throughout Jesus' ministry on earth. The blend is not reliant on material happiness or power, we can find the extraordinary in the most mundane or difficult of situations.

So I wish you and all who are dear to you an extraordinary Christmas, and I pray for justice and peace as we go forward into the next year.

Every blessing

Rev Karen