8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ – Luke 2:8-12

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Christmas story is one long chain of communication. In Luke’s gospel alone, the angels speak to Mary, Mary speaks to Elizabeth, the angels speak to the shepherds, the shepherds speak to Mary and Joseph and then everyone in Bethlehem. By the time you get to the end of Luke’s gospel, the good news of Jesus is going out to the rest of the world. This chain of communication remains unbroken to this very day. Someone told us the good news and now God calls us to be a part of this chain of communication. Christmas provides us with a unique opportunity to speak to others about Jesus. However, how we do that this year might be different; we might not be able to invite people to the building, for example, but through things like Christmas cards, our social media pages, or our conversations with the people we meet, we can all share something of the good news of Jesus. Why not send Christmas cards to your neighbours and enclose one of our flyers inviting them to watch the St Martin’s Online Christmas Carol Concert? Or why not deliver some flyers to people in your street? Why not send a Christmas tract or a little magazine, inviting friends to read it? If you are on social media why not share St Martin’s publicity, Bible verses, Christian resources or share church services for others to see?

Things may be different this year but, thankfully, there are still many ways we can communicate the good news of Jesus. As we do this, we must remember that the message stays the same, and what a message it is; the good news that God has sent his Son into the world to save us! Our world, this year more than ever, needs to hear this message and God calls us to play our part in telling others.

Why not begin by praying for people this week who live near you, asking God to give you an opportunity to share something of God’s love with them this Christmas? Who knows, in the same way that God used ordinary people like Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds, God might use you and me!

Yours in Christ

Mark