Dear Friends

December is upon us, and Christmas is just around the corner. I’m sure that you all have your own favourite aspects of Christmas but, for me, two stand out. The first is that time of calm, when Christmas dinner is over and the family are gathered round, especially when Suzanne and all the ‘children’ (ranging from 22 to 34) are there. It is then I count myself rich, not in terms of money, but in the way the Lord has blessed me with a loving family. The second, is in the singing of all the old Christmas carols. In their familiarity, I am reminded of Christmases past, the sacredness of this time of year and the awe of what God did just over two thousand years ago.

These two aspects of Christmas come together in my mind in a way that speaks of the enormity of God’s love: my children are so precious to me that, though they are now adults, I still do all I can to protect them - this stands in stark contrast to God gifting His Son to the world, knowing the agony He would eventually suffer, to save us sinners.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)

One of my favourite Christmas carols is ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’. Despite its somewhat stark title, this carol is, at its heart, a love song, highlighting that the love God has for us meant that He had to take drastic action to save us from ourselves. Such was God’s determination that, the carol tells us, ‘heaven cannot hold Him’ but, such was our reaction that it also tells us, ‘nor earth sustain’. From the seeming defeat of the Cross, however, came the glory of the resurrection and the growth of the Church. The final verse of the carol asks the very real question, how can we possibly react to such Divine Love: ‘What can I give Him, poor as I am?’

Finishing with the stunningly simple answer, ‘yet what I can I give Him, give my heart.’

Over the millennia since the Nativity, many faithful Christians have given their hearts to God.

For some, this has resulted in many years in loving relationship with Jesus, for others it has required sacrifices (both small and ultimate) and for still others, it has prompted them into dedicating their talents to further God’s work in the world.

Here in St. Andrew’s Church, we are blessed with many people who use their talents for God’s work and, on behalf of the whole congregation, I would like to take this opportunity thank them all. These selfless servants include: the members of the Kirk Session and its subcommittees (Finance, Pastoral Care, Property, and Social), the Flower Team, who make the Church look so beautiful and welcoming, the volunteers who help during worship, after-worship refreshments/fellowship and delivering flowers, those who help at the ‘Cuppa and Chat’ on Friday mornings and the various social and fundraising events over the year, those who have stepped in to clean the church, and those who utilise their specialist skills in administration, fundraising, health and safety, IT and sound systems, roll-keeping, safeguarding and security. All these people have not only given God their heart, but have given much more besides, and our grateful thanks go to them all. We are fortunate indeed to have such a wonderful St. Andrew’s Team!

Many blessings,

Carl