In bringing you this Seasonal Greeting I’m reminded of ‘Rev I M Jolly’ who brought a tear to the eye with his ‘greetin’ face’.

“So this’ll be your busy time minister!” comes the crack, which begs the question, ‘what do we Revs get up to the rest of the year?’ After all, we only have to work on Sundays and they need six folk to carry our pay down the aisle!

Actually I don’t mind the ‘busy banter’ because, I adore this time of year!

Are you tempted to head straight for January without passing ‘GO’.

For me, and Dorothy, December is Mega-‘GO’, with rehearsals, decorating, parties, shopping, cooking, meals, carol singing, film making, services; church, community & family gatherings, etc. Yet, it’s very easy to miss the central jigsaw piece in a mixed-up ‘Christ-mass’ of activity. Come Boxing Day we’re knocked out. We love celebrating Christ’s coming in innovative and traditional ways. But in the hyper-activity we can miss the Peace Christ brings and fail to channel it to others.

We’re praying peace for the refugees of Iraq and Syria and for a halt to the deadly Ebola virus in Africa.

We can pray and give money towards needy causes abroad and still miss out on peace in our own lives.

We can throw a party in the local homeless hostel, give generously to the Food Bank and invite lonely people to our dinner table, and still miss out on Jesus’ peace, because we don’t stop to be still enough to take it in.

For, as long as we are on a mission to save the World, we’re in danger of not allowing ourselves to be saved. I totally understand that, due to the pressure to deliver the ‘Perfect Christmas’ to those we care for, and still have something to give to the less fortunate, many opt out of the merry melee or simply give towards the needy.

But we’re all in danger of missing out on the most awesome Gift of All, the calming, hopeful, life-saving Presence of Jesus Christ. Eugene Peterson describes the mounting excitement of each Christmas time as he ripped wrapping paper from presents, under the tree, only to find ‘stones’ and his heart still a ‘stone’ in need of spiritual softening. No present satisfied his yearning.

But 600 years before Christ’s birth, Isaiah promises us the present of a Saviour, with life-transforming promises, when we receive Jesus into our lives: “Wonderful Counsellor, Everlasting Father, Mighty God, Prince of Peace”.

Perhaps you don’t believe that Jesus is The Prince of Peace come to Save us, even so can I encourage you to stop, be still and take time to allow your body and life to catch up? Might you join me in trying to allow the ‘Christ’ of Christmas come home to you? Taking time to be grateful for his amazing gift of ‘Peace with God, and one another, through faith in Jesus Christ’?

On behalf of Father Willie Boyd, and my fellow Irvine Rev’s and our congregations, and myself, I wish you a ‘Peaceful Christmas’.