Vicar’s December Letter

Dear friends,

Over the last few weeks I have found myself in various conversations with family members about Christmas presents. Sian and I talking about what we would buy for people, others asking us what we want. You know the sort of thing. I am sure that many of you have been having similar conversations and similar thoughts. It’s nice to buy someone a surprise gift, but it’s also nice to buy something they really want or really need. It’s extremely hard to pull off both of these things at the same time – buying someone a surprise that is something they really want or need. Often the wonderful surprise gift turns out to be something that the person already has or something they don’t really want or need. Drawers and cupboards are full of such gifts!

I was thinking about this and thinking of surprise gifts I have received over the years. I can remember one year my parents buying my brother and I a huge Scalextric set. It had 4 cars and could be made into a 4 lane, figure of 8, circuit or a huge 2 lane circuit with all sorts of twists and turns. If was fantastic! We played with it for hours and extended the set over the next few years with additional track and features. A wonderful gift and a complete surprise. When I was a teenager, I can remember being given a tennis racquet as a Christmas gift. I loved to play tennis and (although this may be hard to believe now) wasn’t too bad a player. The racquet was no ordinary racquet though. It was an Adidas Ilie Nastase racquet. Nastase was my favourite player at the time, a flamboyant performer and full of passion. It was the first time I had owned a name brand quality racquet and I was thrilled. I don’t think it made me any better a player, but I certainly felt good when I played. I kept it and used it for years, well into the era of racquets being made with graphite and other exotic materials. Another wonderful gift and a complete surprise (although the shape of the package was a bit of a giveaway before I opened it!).

Isn’t it wonderful when someone knows you so well, and cares about you so much, that they can give you something so perfect, just right for you, without you even having thought of it yourself. It’s wonderful to look back on such gifts and remember the moment, relish the thought, care and love that lie behind the gift and be grateful to the person (or people) who knew you so well and cared for you so much.

That’s really what we are doing at Christmas. Christmas isn’t really about the gifts that we give to or receive from each other. It’s about us remembering that one, perfect gift, just right for us, that God gave us when he gave us Jesus. A gift that would change us forever, now and on into eternity, a gift that was given thoughtfully, caringly and lovingly. A gift given by someone who knew us so well that he knew just what we needed, even if we hadn’t thought about it ourselves.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I hope you manage to find that perfect gift for those you love. I hope you receive something so special  that you will remember it in years to come. But, most of all, I hope you remember, appreciate and give thanks again for Jesus, the wonderful gift that God gave to each of us.

God bless,