Christmas Greetings from the Minister

It’s Christmas time again, and I still remember one Christmas when I really didn’t feel like celebrating. It had been a rough year. The kind that drains your joy somewhere between hospital waiting rooms and unanswered prayers. I went through the motions, helped put up the tree, preached the Advent sermons, smiled when I needed to but deep down, I was just tired. Not angry, just tired. Tired of hoping. Tired of pretending.

Then, on Christmas Eve, something unexpected happened.

After what felt like an ordinary service, the kind where you tick the box and think, well, that’s done. A quiet lady from the congregation handed me an envelope. No, it didn’t have money or a gift card (I checked). Inside was a simple handwritten note. She wrote about how the church had helped her through a hard time, how the sermons made her feel seen, and how she found her faith again. She ended by saying, “I just wanted you to know that your ministry matters.”

I stood there, completely stunned. Then a smile crept across my face, and for the rest of Christmas, I couldn’t wipe it off. Not because her note was fancy, but because it was real. It was grace. And it was exactly what I needed.

That Christmas, I didn’t get the things I was asking God for, no big answers, no miracles, no neat endings. But I got something better: a reminder that God often shows up in small, surprising ways. And in most cases, not with what we want, but with what we need.

And isn’t that what Christmas is all about? The people of Israel were waiting for a mighty king, a warrior, a revolution. But what they got was a baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger, born to a teenage girl in a borrowed stable. It wasn’t what they expected, but it was exactly what they needed.

Maybe that’s true for us, too. We come to Christmas with our lists not just of presents, but of hopes and prayers. We long for peace, healing, and joy. Sometimes we get them. Sometimes we just get a moment of quiet or a small reminder that God is still with us.

So, if you are feeling weary this Christmas, you are not alone and you are not forgotten. The same God who came to us in a manger still comes to us now: in notes, in hugs, in hymns, and in moments of silence. In the ordinary, the overlooked, and the unexpected.

And that, I think, is worth celebrating.

May the light of Christ shine in your homes, warm your hearts, and guide your steps into the year ahead.

Wishing you a joyful and blessed Christmas.

Ronald