At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, he gets right to the point, no second guessing what his message is about, ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus’.

In the midst of darkness and despair, Isaiah chapter 52 proclaimed hope for the people of God. The message of verses 7 through to 10 is a great message for us to share this Christmas too. Isaiah announces it as ‘good news’ of ‘peace’ and ‘salvation’, something to shout about!

An ambassador has an important role, they literally represent a country or kingdom, whilst located within another country or kingdom! The embassies of various countries are ‘little expressions’ of the country to which they belong.

As we approach the Christmas celebrations, we also approach the end of another year. For some, this may mark a welcome conclusion to a challenging time, for others, it may have been a year of joy.

The third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel starts by telling us about the role of John the Baptist, a preacher calling everyone to ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near’.

The start of Matthew’s Gospel gives us the genealogy of ‘Jesus the Messiah’. This may seem like a strange start to the nativity story, but being able to trace their lineage was important to the predominantly Jewish audience to which Matthew was writing. Matthew traces the family tree of Jesus from Abraham, an important and central figure to the Jewish people.

Christmas can be a stressful time for many people, especially when it comes to family. Whilst some families are close and love to get together to celebrate this season, others find it difficult, perhaps still nursing past hurts, misunderstandings and rejection.

Luke chapter 2 tells us of another encounter between heaven and earth – angels visiting shepherds tending their flocks in the fields. The good news of the birth of Jesus was not just for wise men, it was for all people – people doing everyday jobs like the shepherds.

One of the notable things about Christmas is the enormous array of lights that go on display in shops and streets. In many roads, people can become quite competitive as they seek to ‘outshine’ their neighbours’ displays! 

It can be nice to both give and receive gifts at Christmas time. Whilst the earthly value of each gift may vary, the important thing is the love and thought that has gone into buying or making it. In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul is encouraging the Corinthian church to organise a monetary gift, a collection for their less well-off brothers and sisters in Christ in Jerusalem.