Dear Family of St John’s
As I write this, I am very aware that I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping yet. A good friend of mine puts me to shame each year, delivering her gift well before I even know what I’m buying! I don’t enjoy shopping or, more specifically, the crowds of shoppers. I feel huge pressure to find something meaningful for each person. Some people are easy to buy for, and then there are people like my husband who is incredibly difficult!
As a child I’d spend every December holiday with my dad on our family farm in the Free State. My mom and my PE Gran would do all their Christmas shopping for my brother and me well before the time. Gifts were wrapped and packed in my suitcase, with strict instructions not to peek. I had to hand them over to my other gran when I arrived in the Free State, to be placed under the tree for Christmas morning.
I still admire their preparation, and the thoughtfulness of the gifts that were given. They took so much care in choosing the gifts.
The best gift I think I have ever received was for Christmas 2003. It’s the only year I’ve ever been away from my family for Christmas. I was doing care work in the UK and couldn’t get a flight home for Christmas. I spent the day with my best friend from school, which was lovely. But, I was still missing my family desperately. Imagine my surprise to find a wrapped box under the Christmas tree with gifts from my mom, posted all the way from PE. It included a Christmas cake that she had baked for me, and generously ‘watered’! My mom has baked me a Christmas cake every year, for I don’t even know how long. I love Christmas fruit cakes. And to know that she’d thought of me, and baked and posted the cake was just what I needed that Christmas Day.
As I reflect on the gifts I’ve received throughout the years, one thing stands out: the best gifts are those that are thoughtfully chosen, and often, the ones that speak to the heart. Just as my mom carefully baked and posted that Christmas cake, gifts can be expressions of love, care, and thoughtfulness, especially when they carry meaning that transcends the material. In the midst of the busyness of Christmas shopping and gift-giving, it’s easy to forget the greatest gift that has ever been given to us – the gift of Christ.
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God’s perfect gift to humanity. He came into the world not only as a gift for the people of His time, but for all people, for all time. The Christmas story reminds us that God, in His boundless love, gave the most precious gift possible – His Son. This gift was not wrapped in paper or ribbons but in the form of a baby lying in a manger, heralding a new beginning for all who would receive Him.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” There are no words that can fully capture the depth of God’s love expressed in the gift of Christ. Jesus was sent to bring hope, redemption, and peace to a broken world. He was the perfect gift – unearned, freely given, and available to all who believe in Him.
In John 3:16, we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The essence of Christmas is wrapped up in this truth: God gave His Son not because we deserved it, but because He loved us beyond measure. The perfect gift is not about material wealth or worldly possessions; it is the love of God poured out in Jesus Christ, offering us forgiveness, eternal life, and a relationship with Him.
The beauty of this gift is that it requires nothing from us other than faith. As we receive presents at Christmas, we are reminded that the best gifts are the ones we can never earn, the ones given in love. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we are accepting the perfect gift of salvation – one that cannot be bought, earned, or replaced.
In the busyness of this time of year, it’s easy to get caught up in finding the ‘perfect’ gift for others. But, let’s not forget that we already have the perfect gift in Christ. It’s a gift that surpasses all understanding, one that brings light into the darkest of times and peace into our hearts.
As we exchange gifts at Christmas, may we remember the true meaning of the season and the gift that truly matters. The birth of Jesus, the Son of God, is the ultimate reminder that God loves us deeply and has given us the best gift of all – a Saviour who was born to bring hope and eternal life.
May Christmas be a time of reflection, gratitude, and joy as we remember God’s perfect gift. Let us give thanks, for the gift that is Christ, and for the way in which God has blessed us and guided us this year.
This Christmas, may the greatest gift you give to others be the message of God’s love, shown in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that you will have a blessed Christmas, filled with the hope, peace, joy, and love that only Christ can bring. May we continue to give thanks, not only in this season, but always, for the incredible gift of Jesus and the many blessings He has poured out on us.
With love
Your friend and rector,
Claire