Dear Family of St John’s
This is the last newsletter for 2025… where has the year gone?! It’s only five sleeps until Christmas, and 13 sleeps until we enter a new year.
This time of the year always leaves me feeling reflective, I think back over the last year and try to remember everything that has been. I reflect on what joys were experienced, where there was disappointment, or sorrow. I think about the areas where I didn’t give of my best, and consider how I might change that in the year ahead.
And, most particularly I think about the Coming of Jesus. I try to be intentional about these thoughts. It’s very easy to get caught up in the hype of Christmas. And, not just the shopping and merriment that society tells us should be happening. But, we can also get caught up in all the activities at church, and not stop to really think about what it all means.
And so, I think about how Mary must have felt. I wonder about what she might have been doing five sleeps before the birth of Jesus. And Joseph, how was he managing? I wonder about how much of the prophecies they understood, and what their expectations were of this coming child.
I think about the hundreds of years that led up to this moment – God’s covenant relationship with His people, His desire to see humanity restored and reconciled. And the plan that was put into place to ensure that happened.
I think about the shepherds who, five sleeps before the birth of Jesus, were completely oblivious to how their world would change. They were just doing what shepherds did.
And, my fanciful imagination pictures the choirs of angels bubbling with excitement for the day to come when they will sing with such joy of the coming of the Saviour. Do the choirs of angels need to rehearse? I don’t imagine they would, their voices are perfect!
And I wonder how important this story of our Saviour is to the people I pass in the shopping centres, who are driving past me, those I see at a distance. Are they, like the shepherds, oblivious? Or do they have a sense of expectation about how Christ will change the world?
I wonder, too, about us. Five sleeps before Christmas – how are we doing?
Are we simply moving from task to task, gift to gift, event to event… or is there a quiet whisper in our spirits, reminding us that something holy is near? That the God who “so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16) is drawing close to renew hope, restore joy, and awaken faith in us?
Perhaps you are feeling the anticipation of Christmas – that warm, gentle stirring of wonder. Or perhaps this season brings mixed emotions: joy and weariness, gratitude and longing. Wherever you find yourself, remember this: Christ comes into real lives, not perfect ones.
The Saviour was born into a world of political tension, family complexity, humble circumstances, and uncertain futures. And yet, into that world, “the true light that gives light to everyone” came (John 1:9).
As we approach Christmas Day, may I gently encourage you not to lose sight of the spiritual reality that surrounds us. The same God who sent angels to shepherds, dreams to Joseph, and favour to Mary is still at work – in your life, in our community, and in the world. Paul reminds us that “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). This season invites us to lift our eyes beyond our day-to-day plans and remember the unseen grace, strength, and presence of God moving around us.
So, what are you anticipating this Christmas?
What might Christ be longing to birth in your life – healing, forgiveness, courage, renewed hope?
And what in your heart is God whispering that He wants to transform in the months ahead?
As 2025 draws to a close, I want to express my deep gratitude for each of you. Thank you for your faithfulness, your prayers, your kindness, your presence, and your support of the ministry of St John’s. This church thrives because you give of yourselves. It has been a privilege to journey through this year together – through its joys and its challenges – trusting in the One who holds us fast.
And as we look toward 2026, I offer you this word of encouragement:
The God who has carried us this far will carry us still.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Whatever the new year brings, we step into it with the confidence that Emmanuel – God with us – walks every step beside us.
May this Christmas draw you deeper into the wonder of Christ’s coming, and may the year ahead be filled with signs of His grace, strength, and peace in your life.
With love
Your friend and rector,
Claire