Dear Friends , I hope you had a blessed Christmas .

We had a wide variety of visitors to the church for Christmas, visiting family from Sydney and Cairns and Poland. Some old friends came and visited and some new neighbours dropped in as well.
Donations were given to the Christmas Bowl to help people suffering from years of war and drought in South Sudan.

On Christmas Day we reflected on the role of the inn keeper in the Christmas Story. The kindness of the inn keeper, helped God to deliver the greatest gift of all time – a baby boy who would grow up to be the saviour and redeemer for us all !! . The inn keeper welcomed the stranger –Mary and Joseph to use the stable for the night . Welcoming the stranger is a theme throughout the bible and especially in the gospel of Luke.

God invites us to make room for strangers in our lives. We all have our part to play. It’s not always easy, it’s not always convenient , – I’m sure the inn keeper had a lot of guests wanting his attention that night – not to mention his own family !! Jesus asks us to love God and love our neighbour as our self – or put another way love your neighbour as you love your own family. How is God inviting us to do this?

Shalom

Rev. Frances