A CHRISTMAS FOR ALL THE COMMUNITY AT HAILSHAM PARISH CHURCH

BY VICAR RORY GRAHAM

IF you live in Hailsham parish, you should be receiving an invitation to one of our Christmas services through your door in the coming weeks.

Who isn’t excited by piles of presents nestling under a well-lit Christmas tree? Opening those shiny parcels of joy is one of the most exciting things about Christmas. When do you open yours? For many of us, there is the time-honoured Christmas morning ritual of unwrapping presents amid shrieks of delight. Do you know what you are getting this year? Have you been in amongst them, shaking and squeezing and trying to work out what your brother has bought you?

The Christmas jackpot is when you give someone a gift which you know they are going to love, because at that moment you aren’t just giving a thing to someone, you are handing over yourself, your thoughtfulness and your care to someone you love.

That kind of present doesn’t just say ‘I clicked on the link you sent through,’ it says ‘I know you, I love you and I bought this for you.’ To be on the receiving end of a present like that is almost too good to be true. You feel valued, known, appreciated and loved far beyond the value of the actual gift.

At Hailsham Parish Church our Christmas plans are built around the astonishing truth that, in Jesus, God has given us the very best present.