Seeing the Christmas tree in its familiar place with lights twinkling in the windows, smelling the mince pies as they bake in the oven, and enjoying the warmth of being with people who know and love us – “home” has a special pull this time of year. It’s not just about a place, it’s about belonging, about being known, accepted, and loved.

But sometimes, even with all the fun and festive cheer, Christmas can make us feel a little homesick too. It can stir within us a longing for years gone by, people we miss, or a peace we can’t quite find.

That longing isn’t new. It’s as old as humanity itself. Deep down, every heart aches for a home we were made for — a life where love never ends, peace never breaks, and joy never fades.

That’s exactly what we’re celebrating at Christmas. When Isaiah wrote, “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given”, he was announcing God’s promise to send Jesus to be our way home. The child born in Bethlehem lived, died and rose again to open the way for us to come back home to God. Back to our forever home, where we are known, accepted and loved completely.

Wherever you’re spending Christmas this year, I hope it is filled with love and joy, and that you have a peaceful start to 2026!

We would love to see you at any of our Christmas services or events, all the details are below:

Coming Up

From nursery rhymes to school assembly anthems to chants on the terraces to singing along to our favourite hits in the car or the shower, we all find ourselves singing at some point or another.  Studies have shown that belting out a tune or singing in a choir can enhance our mood, boost our immune system or even reduce feelings of chronic pain.

 Our recent Community Choir initiative drew people from different walks of life and parts of the parish to sing together at Christmas and Easter. Including some who are trained singers, some who self-described as “tone-deaf” and everything in between, all who took part described a real sense of enjoyment and fun – another testimony of the power of music and song.

 For centuries music and singing have been a central part of worship in churches. The rhythm of a hymn or the simple melody of a song, combined with words that express deep truths, have a unique ability to connect us with each other and with the God we worship.

 In the Bible, the book of Psalms is a rich collection of songs and prayers that have been sung by God’s people for thousands of years. The Psalms cover an extraordinary range of human experiences, from deep despair to exuberant joy, and they help us to express our deep emotions to our God. Whilst faith in his promises is often where they take us in the end, the Psalms have a unique way of giving voice to our struggles and doubts too. Their place at the heart of Scripture reminds us that we have a God who is not distant or aloof but who wants to have a real living relationship with us. Like all of Scripture the Psalms ultimately point us to Jesus Christ as the one who came so we can relate to God again. Theologian Christoper Ash writes: “If the gospels give us Christ’s deeds and word, the Psalms open a window into his heart.”

 Over the next few weeks in our churches, as well as joining our voices each week in hymns and songs, we’ll be exploring a few of these Psalms in more depth to see how they can help us to express ourselves and respond to God in ways that are life giving.

In case you’re wondering whether your singing ability is up it or not, I’m always encouraged by Psalm 100v1 which encourages us to “make a joyful noise…!”

But then we scroll through the news app on our phones, or we remember the uncertainties we’re facing in our own lives. Any sense of optimism we might have feels fragile at best.

Reading the story found in the Gospels, we might expect like any good story some kind of fairytale ending. And for many, that’s exactly what you get. The stone is rolled away and Jesus Christ, the misunderstood hero of the story rises from the dead, the underdog triumphs.

But what if it’s not a fairytale ending? The claim at the heart of the Christian Faith is that Easter is neither a fairytale nor an ending, but something much better – a true new beginning.

Christian Apologist Glen Scrivener recounts a famous conversation between friends J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis in his little book “The myth that really happened.” Lewis’ main problem with Christianity was the Easter story. Tolkein encouraged him to consider the ways the story is different to the mythical stories he loved so much – presented as history, anchored in time and space involving real people and attested events.   

Lewis would later write, “As a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear that they are not the same sort of thing.”

The final pages of the story of the Gospels present us with a risen Jesus, conqueror of sin and death and all that is wrong with the world. Offering to all who will put their trust in him a truth that we can build our lives on. Lives that will continue to face the same struggles and uncertainties that come with living in this world – but carrying with us a sure and certain hope of a true new beginning, with God, that will last happily ever after.

We’ll be celebrating and exploring this true new beginning at all our Easter services and events – all welcome!

On Christmas Eve 1968 the crew of Apollo 8 had just experienced the world in a way that no-one had before: orbiting the moon they witnessed an Earthrise.

As they broadcast live to the world below they began, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” They then proceeded to read the first chapter of the book of Genesis. What they saw, as awe inspiring as it was, drew their attention to the inspiration behind it all.

For many, the idea that there is anyone or anything beyond what is physical - let alone a divine creator - is unbelievable. For others, the idea that the world that we know is the chance result of blind, random forces is just as unbelievable. Perhaps we have to choose which unbelievable we’re going to put our faith in?

The Bible’s claim is that there is a God who created the world. With both mighty power and meticulous attention to detail, he made everything from nothing, culminating with the creation of humanity. Formed in God’s image, we bear the imprint of our Creator. This gives us the value that we instinctively know sets us apart from the rest of creation. If this is true, then our worth cannot derive from our race, religion, sex, background, occupation, fitness level or age.

Down through the centuries this view of our inherent worth has helped shape human rights, legislation, legal systems, healthcare services and protection for the weak and the vulnerable.

Bearing the image of God gives us our worth but it also gives us our responsibility. Specifically, the responsibility we carry to represent the one who made us – cultivating and caring for his creation, and relating to our fellow human beings as fellow human beings.

Inside St Paul’s Cathedral there’s a plaque which is inscribed with some words in Latin referring to Sir Christopher Wren who designed it: “if you want to see his memorial, look around you.” The wonder of the building speaks of the greatness of its architect. The wonder of our world speaks of the greatness of its Creator, and this is most true of all when it comes to humanity – or at least it should be. Sadly we all fall short of the glory we were made for and have made quite a mess of the world in the process.

Wonderfully, instead of leaving us to our mess, God saw our worth, took on our humanity and gave his life for us.  When we look to Jesus Christ we can see the greatness we were meant to display. When we put our trust in him we can find reconciliation with our Creator and life in all its fullness – the image of God restored and renewed.  

This Lent we are taking a close-up look at Mark’s account of Jesus’ final days on earth in our sermon series. It is an opportunity for all of us to look to him afresh and consider who he is and why he came. As always, you would be very welcome to join us at any of our services.