Of course, we need to remind ourselves amidst all the hustle and bustle leading up to the day itself that the meaning of Christmas  has nothing to do with trees, turkeys, parties and  all the other things we consider to be essential  for the observance of a ‘traditional’ Christmas.

Christmas is essentially God breaking into time and space in a unique way: “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”.  The Son of God comes to us in self-giving love ­ that is the heart of it.  It is a time of joy and hope for believers and it is also a time of choice.

Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say that I am?” and then when they answered he asked, “Who do you say that I am?”  Well who do you say that he is? Yes, you the reader.

A great modern Christian writer put it like this: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher, he’d either be a lunatic or else he’d be the devil of hell. You must make your choice.  Either this man was or is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse”.

You should spend some time thinking about that this Christmas.   A blessed Christmas to you all.