Hallelujah! We can meet again for worship! When something like this is taken away, we seem to appreciate it more. And yet, there have been blessings even in this second lock-down. One small story is that Alpha this term has been amazing, and guests and leaders have experienced the presence and love of God even on Zoom. Covid-19 cannot take that away from us. It is just like our God to reveal himself and his love for his people even more during times of crisis and hardship. We are called to be people of hope and healing in our nation and our town.
At Christmas we especially remember that God showed his love for us in coming to live alongside us, in the person of a humble carpenter, Jesus his Son. Love at Christmas is called Emmanuel, God with us. Whatever we are going through, God cares for us and is with us. Our celebrations this Christmas will be different than usual, but Covid cannot take Christmas joy away from us. God’s message of comfort and joy rings out throughout the world. Jesus, our saviour is born, and he brings hope to the world. We can all play our part in bringing the Christmas message to the streets in Walton through the Advent Windows Trail. Join in by decorating your window as part of the Christmas story by registering here. Let’s bring joy to our town.
“Encounter Christmas” is a Covid-safe walk through experience we are offering in place of our usual Carol service. May we pray that all those who come, whether people of faith or not, will encounter Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, in fresh ways this Christmas. We also invite you to access two Carol services online: Carols with Compassion (see page 4) on 6th December and Carols from Guildford Cathedral on 20th December. Covid-19 cannot stop us lifting our voices to worship the new-born king.
May we also reach out to help those in our neighbourhood who are particularly in need at this time of year. We want to share God’s love for us with the people of Walton. Our weekly emails will let you know how you can help with Christmas hampers and other projects. So remember, in these remarkable times, we are loved very much, God is with us, and he sends Jesus into our real lives. Let us Encounter Christmas afresh and bring love to Walton in practical ways.
May God bless you with comfort and joy in this remarkable Christmas season. Jonny and Cathy
