Greetings in Emmanuel’s name.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who is the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
We are in a period of Advent in our Christian calendar, a period we dedicate to reflective preparation for the arrival, “advent”, of Jesus, Christ’s Nativity at Christmas time as well and Christ’s expected return in the Second Coming. During this important event on the church calendar, each week of Advent focuses on a different theme – hope, peace, joy, and love. Christians from all denominations and backgrounds celebrate Advent in different ways but all focus on the anticipation of waiting for the arrival of Jesus.
“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer. God himself in Christ Jesus (Emmanuel) is coming into our world of work, school, home, and church and meeting us as we are and where we are. He is not expecting us to be perfect because we are not and He is aware of that; therefore, no need to pretend to be what we are not.
I find it very assuring that Jesus’s genealogy according St Mathew is littered with imperfect people like Judah who had a sexual relationship with his widowed daughter in-law (Genesis 38) and David who took away his army general’s wife and had the husband killed in battle (2 Samuel 11:). The genealogy of Jesus included people who were not Jews, the likes of Rahab and Ruth. God intended to graft us (Gentiles) into the Kingdom through Jesus Christ. There is hope some of us who feel not to be the right fit to host God in Christ Jesus.
We must be prepared and ready to welcome Emmanuel into our chaotic lives and He can work through us, in us and with us making us more like Jesus. We don’t have to wait until we are “better”, “holier” to welcome Emmanuel into our lives.
Let us prepare, anticipate and be ready to welcome the man of the season into our lives and church and ready to have Him in charge as we decrease while Jesus increases (John 3:3). The focus and attention should be pointed to the “one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matthew 3:11).
Let us welcome God into our lives of work, church, school. home etc…
Andrew
Letter from the Manse December 2025
