From the Chaplain

This year, my kids and I have three ‘Secret Santa’ things to buy. This seems to be becoming a more and more popular tradition. I do like the idea, but I always find it so hard to find gifts. I really want to get them all something they would like and I do not want to have to resort to buying chocolates.

I also find it harder each year to buy gifts for my children. They always want things they are not going to get such as: an iPhone, an iPad, to go bungee jumping, or just want money. Many people refuse to just give money as they say that that is not the point of Christmas and that there has been no thought gone into it. There are at least two reasons why we traditionally give at Christmas time:

The Wise Men gave Jesus presents when he was born. They gave him three gifts, which all have significance. Gold: a precious metal to make jewellery from. A gift given to Kings. Frankincense: aromatic gum resin, used as incense for deities. Myrrh: a fragrant spice used to embalm bodies. These gifts indicate that the Wise Men knew that Jesus was to be King, that he was to be worshipped as a deity and that he was going to have some sort of sacrificial death.
Jesus was a gift to us at Christmas. Jesus came down from heaven to earth to be born as a baby. Matthew 1:21 says, ‘And she will have a Son, and she shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Saviour’), for he will save his people from their sins.’ Jesus was a gift to us so that we could be saved from our sins and be reunited with God.

I hope to see you at our Christmas Service on Monday at 10.15am, as our Year One students show us a Nativity play and students from every other year group participate in some way too.

I pray that you and your family will have a blessed Christmas and holiday break. I want to leave you with a quote: ‘As long as you have Jesus in your heart, it doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have underneath the Christmas tree. He is the best gift you will ever receive.’ (Anonymous).

Mrs Naomi Cooper | Chaplain