For the past few years, I have asked God to underline for me a portion of Scripture which will act as an anchor for me in the year ahead. In 2020, that anchor came from Psalm 112, especially verses 4-6, talking of having a steadfast heart and no fear of bad news, which certainly carried me through the very strange year that 2020 turned out to be! In 2021, the verse that upheld me was God’s promise in Isaiah 43:18-19 of doing a new thing and making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

As we prepare to enter 2023, a very familiar verse has jumped out of the pages of the Bible to me: ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matt 6:33)

This verse is part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, and comes in a section (Matt 6:25-34) where Jesus urges us not to worry, reminding us of God’s love and care for the natural world and reassuring us that if He cares for birds and flowers, He cares for us so much more. Our part is not to worry but to trust Him, and above all to live lives which are oriented around Him, with Jesus at the centre. We are to put God first and do what He wants (Matt 6:33, CEV). We are to set our hearts on the kingdom and His goodness (Matt 6:33, J. B. Phillips). This is a verse with a direct command (put God first) and a wonderful promise (all the things we need, food and clothing, our everyday human needs, will be given to us by God’s great bounty and grace.)

Many of us like the promise of provision, but not the direct command to put God first. It’s not easy to give away some of our income to God when we’re struggling financially, but if we do this, we will find provision does come. It’s not always to be easy to be generous to others through giving food or clothing, but again, God is no man’s debtor. If we seek His kingdom and obey Him, He promises to look after our basic human needs. Malachi 3:8-12 makes this very clear.

The Message version of Matt 6:33 brings out these truths in a slightly different form: ‘Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provision. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.’

To steep something means to soak it in a liquid, to saturate it with a liquid. Our lives must be steeped, soaked, saturated in God. The blessing of God is freely available to us, but we have to follow the order of this verse. What we do in seeking, honouring and obeyig God is what we can do. The blessing, the provision, the everyday human needs and concerns which so often dominate our thoughts are then (and only then) met by God.

Put God first. Do what He wants. Then you don’t have to worry, for God is able to do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine for you. (Eph 3:20)

At our Christmas Day service, we looked at some of the names given to Jesus (somethng we have been doing with the children at Sunday school over recent weeks, decorating Christmas baubles to remind us of these truths.)

Mary and Joseph were not given any option as to what their baby should be called; the name ‘JESUS’ means ‘The Lord saves‘ and reminds us of His primary reason for coming to earth.

He is also known as CHRIST or MESSIAH, meaning the ‘anointed one’. Chosen by God for a special task of deliverance, Jesus came to fulfil God’s purposes for salvation.

He is also known as IMMANUEL, meaning ‘God with us’, the visible reminder of what God is like (see John 1:18). God’s presence with us every day reminds us we are never alone.

Other names include the GREAT HIGH PRIEST (see Heb 2, 4, 10), reminding us of the fact He has bridged the gap between us and God and still lives to intercede for us (Heb 7:25) and SON OF MAN, SON OF GOD. He is both fully human and fully God, THE WORD MADE FLESH. (John 1)

One title remains to be fulfilled, that of KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev 19:16) The final battle may yet to be fought, but we know that Jesus is the Victor and can therefore acknowledge what a beautiful name that is and how there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Today we reach the end of our Advent musings for 2022 and are just hours away from celebrating Christmas in 2022. Christmas has always been a special time of year for me, inextricably linked to birthdays, for my uncle, mother, father and granddaughter all had or have birthdays in this Christmas week. My father, whose birthday was on Christmas Eve, was born a month early and always said it was because he couldn’t wait for Christmas! The joy of celebrating birthdays and Christmas has been a part of my life always; when my granddaughter was also born on Christmas Eve, the tradition was continued. I will be spending today celebrating with her.

Birthdays are times of celebration precisely because life is precious. Each of us is precious to God, known by Him and loved by Him (see Psalm 139 for a reminder that God made us and knows us inside out.) These truths are the foundation of joy. People matter so much to God that He sent His only Son to save us. (John 3:16) Even if you have no other reason to celebrate, no other reason for joy, this truth is reason to rejoice today and throughout the rest of our lives. God made you special and loves you so much He sent His Son to bring you back into a relationship with Him.

New life brings responsibility and financial burdens. In 2021 in the UK, the basic cost of raising a child until the age of 18 was £76,167. When additional costs, such as housing and childcare, are added, we get the total cost of £160,692. It can be daunting becoming a parent for many reasons!

But still there is joy when we celebrate the birth of a baby. At our Parent & Toddler group, we have had the joy of welcoming new babies this year; my own family is eagerly anticipating the arrival of another child next year. New life should always bring joy because we are celebrating the very miracle of life itself.

The angels told the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’ (Luke 2:10-11) The good news they proclaimed was bound up in the person and birth of Jesus Christ. Because He was born on earth, hope and peace could come to humanity. He was not just a helpless baby; He was the Saviour, the Messiah, the Lord.

We may not know what our children will become, but we are privileged to know what became of the baby whose arrival we celebrate at Christmas. We have eternal life because of His life, death and resurrection, and therefore we have ‘inexpressible and glorious joy’ (1 Peter 1:8), no matter what.

Apologies for the delay in posting these photos from our carol service on Sunday. We’re so proud of the children who sang the songs ‘Boogie-woogie Angels’ and ‘Midnight’ and ‘Away In A Manger’ and danced their hearts out. We pray these children will grow up fully aware of the real meaning of Christmas and will look back with fondness on such celebrations!

For some people, Christmas is not a time of joy. It’s a painful reminder of loss: family and friends who have passed away and are no longer with us, financial difficulties which make the expected celebrations simply impossible, broken relationships and tensions which have to be navigated, meaning each day feels like walking on eggshells, with loneliness and a sense of failure the predominant emotions. The expectation of joy does not always match the reality of our actual lives, and this is why this time of year can be so painful for many.

This is why it is so important to read the Biblical account of the first Christmas, rather than basing our beliefs on the sanitised cartoon version we find in the media. Mary and Joseph were not at home; they were in a large town, without friends and family, without adequate accommodation. They experienced the joy of new life in less-than-ideal circumstances and before long were forced to flee to Egypt as refugees because Herod was intent on killing their son. Historians believe that Jesus spent the first three-and-a-half years of his life in Egypt as a refugee. There was no benefits’ system there; Joseph would have the anxiety of finding work to support his family in a foreign country. Just like today, life was difficult for them.

Yet in the midst of these difficulties, pressing in on their everyday lives, there was the joy of knowing God. God spoke to Joseph in dreams, warning him of the difficulties and then reassuring him it was safe to return home. (Matthew 2:13-23) God was still there with them, even in the midst of difficulties. He is still here with us, even in the midst of our difficulties. Joy can co-exist alongside difficulties and trials, because God is with us.