Newsletter – December 2025

This year the Advent theme of the Methodist Church is ‘Gifted.’ We are invited to remind people of their inherent worth and beauty – not because of what they’ve done, or what they can give – but because of who they are:

“Gifted: is for everyone in our churches and beyond: both believers rejoicing at God’s gift of Jesus, and those who might find the season more wearying than wonderful.
Gifted: reaches out to people longing for transformation but feeling stuck. For those searching for something more, something real – but unsure where to look.
Gifted is the Methodist Church's open invitation, speaking the good news to people that they matter. That they are Beloved. Created with infinite care. A gift to the world, just as they are.”

As we enter the season of Advent, we are asked these two questions:

“What needs to be removed from your life this Advent to make you more fully available to God and others? Are there fears, distractions, or attachments that keep you from being fully present?”

And finally, “This Advent, don’t just wait – prepare. Let God remove what’s not needed. And as you’re refined, reshaped and wrapped in grace – become a gift. A gift of peace to your neighbour. A gift of justice in your community. A gift of love in a world that’s longing for hope. This is the call of Advent: Be ready. Be real. Be the gift.”

Of course, this time of the year can be a difficult time for many. Christmas is particularly hard for those who are grieving a loss. It’s also hard where there’s conflict in the family that means everyone can’t be together. A few years ago, now, I was encouraged to lead a service called a ‘Blue Christmas.’ The Methodist Church have produced a service that can be used amongst their resources this year:

“A ‘Blue Christmas’ service provides a space for painful emotions to be held and acknowledged rather than dismissed or hidden amidst all the jollity. It offers a space in which people can feel what they feel.A Blue Christmas service needs to offer good news of hope for the future without minimising the pain that is felt now.”

I close with a prayer, written by the United Methodist Church, for a Blue Christmas service:

We pray for those who grieve the loss of loved ones, jobs, stability, certainty, or hope; who long for the day when the pain does not overwhelm and the sorrow comes in trickles instead of torrents. We wait in our grief, and in our grief, God waits with us.

We pray for those who suffer under corporations, politicians, laws, and systems; who long for the day when their work is fairly compensated, their rest is protected, and their dignity is secure. We wait in our suffering, and in our suffering, God waits with us.

We pray for those who live surrounded by violence; who long for the day when their home, neighbourhood, city, or nation is no longer a place of fear and division, but, instead, a place of flourishing and care. We wait in our distress, and in our distress, God waits with us.

We pray for those overwhelmed with worry and dread; who long for the day when peace will reign in our bodies, our families, our community, and our world.

We wait in our worry, and in our distress, God waits with us.

Loving God who came to dwell among us, fill our hearts with your loving presence. Draw us together in your love. Help us cling to the truth that in our grief, our pain, our distress, and our worry, we are not alone. God is with us, and the Spirit binds us together in the Body of Christ, that we may be agents of love, comfort, and hope to one another and all the world. Amen.