There are always so many things happening this time of the year, with end of semester projects, Christmas parties, and even the occasional birthday party. There is always something crazy going on. Work, for many gets busier because people want to get caught up before taking time off around the Christmas season and not want to get behind in the new year. I think about how busy Bethlehem was with people travelling from all over when Joseph and Mary travelled there for the census, it was so busy there were no rooms available in the inns. It was so bad, that a kind inn keeper offered all he had, space in the dirty stable, which turned out to be the place of the Awaited One’s birth place. It isn’t right for the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the joint Creator of all that has been and ever will be to be born in such filthy conditions, but it almost seems right that He is born around His creation, the animals and people He made to live on the planet formed by His hands. We often get so used to the busyness of life and the noises made by everything that we forget to stop and take a break, time to breathe, time for silence. The well know hymn states, “Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright…” Perhaps in the fields where the shepherds lay in the dark grass looking up to the stars and talking about their day and perhaps family things among each other, all was quiet, calm, and peaceful – unlike the city of David. As we approach the Christmas break, some will be travelling, others will have family come to town, some will have extra special things going on, but I want to encourage you to stop, take a break from all that is going on, make time for a moment of silence, regather your thoughts and relax. Have a time of silence and holiness. Remove the distractions of people and even your phone. “Be STILL and know that I AM God.” Peter Hunt

I was listening to the radio in the car and there was a commercial for some skin place that started by saying, “It’s the small things in life that make a big difference.” It’s true how some small things make a difference; ask anyone who has ever had a kidney stone or a hangnail or a trapped nerve, these are so small, yet cause great pain. This got me thinking about how Jesus, as small as an individual is in the grand scheme of things, He made such a big difference in both the times leading up to His life and even more ever since, by the lives He touched. The smallest of deeds can often go amiss, but they can also mean the world to others. It doesn’t take much to hold a door open for someone approaching it, it doesn’t cost anything to smile at a person you walk past, you won’t lose anything for giving a hug to someone feeling down. None of these deeds take much, but they can mean so much to those receiving them. I remember growing up in the church, there were some of the older members of the church that if they saw us in the mall or grocery store with my mum or someone, they would give me a pound coin, (the equivalent of a dollar,) it wasn’t much, couldn’t buy much (back then you could get 100 penny sweets – which was a lot) but as little as a dollar is to many of us, to a child, a dollar is the best thing ever. It is something they can use to get something for themselves, it wasn’t junk – it was valuable. There may be days when you feel like you’re not worth a lot, you’re a waste of time, space, breath – you may feel like a failure. Jesus knows your true value. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 You might feel like a sparrow, but even in God’s eyes, you are worth so much more than anything else. You might feel small at times, but you do make the difference in the lives around you. For that, we praise the Lord. I thank you all for being a part of my life. Peter Hunt