Peace be with you!
We’re often told that Christmas is stressful for some and lonely for others and too much of a spending frenzy for the majority. It needn’t be. Christmas is also a time when we look beyond ourselves and when deep down we want only the best for those closest to us and for all who are in need in our world.
It is a time to hear again the familiar story of the birth of Jesus Christ. A time when we long for peace on earth and goodwill among all people.
But Christmas is more than simply the celebration of the birth of a baby. The story takes us beyond the glitter and the tinsel and the lights to something much deeper.
Most of us experience a sense of awe and wonder when we stand at the foot of a cradle and gaze on a newly born baby. As we see the crib scenes in the centres of our cities, towns and villages, we are moved again by the memory of that experience. And as we feel it, we are invited to look beyond the baby, to catch a glimpse of God whose gift is hope; the hope of peace and goodwill, of beauty and love. We are invited to look beyond what we see, however bleak it might seem, to discover signs of goodness and beauty, of hope, of joy wherever people are trying to do their best.
