GRAPEVINE
A weekly spiritual insight, sharing a Bible verse paired with a thoughtful reflection to deepen your connection with God and illuminate His path for your life.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room available for them.
Each Christmas we are invited once again to stand quietly beside the manger and to look with fresh eyes at the story we know so well. It is a story so familiar that we can forget how astonishing it truly is. And yet, each year, God meets us there anew — not in splendour or power, but in humility, vulnerability, and love.
The first Christmas did not unfold as anyone expected. There were no fanfares from the palace walls, no crowds of the powerful. Instead, God chose a young woman saying “yes” in trust, a carpenter offering faithful obedience, and a baby born far from home, laid in a feeding trough. Heaven touched earth not through force, but through gentleness. In the Nativity we see the heart of God revealed: a God who comes close.
For those who feel weary, overlooked, or unsure of their place in the world, the Christmas story speaks directly to us. The shepherds, working through the night on the edges of society, were the first to hear the good news. “Do not be afraid,” the angel tells them — words that echo through the centuries to us today. God’s glory shines first not for the privileged, but for ordinary people living ordinary lives. Christmas reminds us that no one is invisible to God.
The light that shines in Bethlehem shines still. It shines into places of uncertainty, grief, and fear. It shines into a world that often feels fractured and anxious. The child born in the stable is called Emmanuel — God with us — not God far away, not God untouched by human struggle, but God who knows joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, hope and heartbreak. In Jesus, God chooses to share our life, so that we might share in God’s life.
The Nativity also calls us to respond. Like Mary, we are invited to trust God’s promises, even when we do not fully understand the path ahead. Like Joseph, we are called to quiet faithfulness. Like the shepherds, we are invited to come and see — and then to go and tell.
This Christmas, amid the presents and parties, may we allow ourselves to be surprised again by grace. May we find hope renewed in the small and holy moments of our lives. And may the peace announced by the angels — “on earth peace to those on whom God’s favour rests” — take root in our hearts, our homes, and our community.
As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may we know deeply that we are loved, that God is with us, and that the light shines in the darkness — and the darkness has not overcome it.
Wishing you a joyful, peaceful, and blessed Christmas!
Associate Minister, Revd Steve Turville
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