<p>Nic’s Christmas message for 2016 If a major focus at Christmas-time is gift-giving, it is because of celebrating God’s gifts to us: in creating an amazing universe, in ordering a wonderful earth, and in giving us life in the first place. God’s gift-giving doesn’t cease there! It continues to share from the essence of who God is: love and self-sacrifice on our behalf, concern for our welfare, and an expressed desire for us to act in our own and others’ best interests, by living in friendship and partnership with God as we were designed to. In coming as close as God could, through Jesus becoming a human being like you and me, God continued gift-giving at the highest level. In placing God’s Spirit as close to us as God can, able and willing to live not only alongside but also inside us, God has poured out love to us. How shall we respond? This is what determines how well we shall live, both now and into Life that does not cease when our physical hearts and brains one day cease to function. May you and those with whom you celebrate this Season of the birthday of Jesus the Messiah, a.k.a. Emmanuel (God with us), dwell on the meaning of these gifts for you, now and into the year we call 2017 – just a number, really, to help us keep count of the ongoing days and years in which God continues to love us.</p><p>With best wishes to you this Christmas from Nic, your parish priest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>