St Johns with St Barnabas

‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ (John 1:14)

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As we prepare to celebrate Christmas once again, we are invited to consider the mystery at the heart of our faith: the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. These familiar words from the Gospel of John can slip past us if we are not careful, yet they contain the entire joy and wonder of this season.

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The Incarnation means that God is not distant. He does not simply send messages, prophets, or principles. He came Himself. He entered our world not in majesty or display, but in the vulnerability of a child, born into poverty, wrapped in cloth, laid in a manger. At Christmas, we remember that the Creator of all things stepped into His own creation so that nothing in human life would be untouched by His presence.

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When God took on flesh, He took on our flesh—our joys and sorrows, our limitations, our struggles, our hopes. He came to share our human story so that we might share in His divine life. The Incarnation tells us that God is not indifferent to the realities we face; He walks with us in them. He sanctifies the ordinary. He transforms what seems small or hidden. He brings light precisely where the world sees darkness.

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This is why Christmas is not merely a sentimental celebration or a comforting tradition. It is a ‘good news’ proclamation: God is with us! Not theoretically, not symbolically, but truly. In Jesus Christ, God bridges every distance we try to place between ourselves and Him—fear, sin, doubt, weakness, or weariness. Nothing is too broken that He will not enter it; nothing is too humble that He will not bless it.

In our homes, our parish, and our community, we are called to make room for this same Christ who once found no place in the inn. We make room when we welcome the lonely, forgive those who have hurt us, care for those in need, and allow God’s grace to speak to our hearts and transform our lives. We make room when we let the light of Christ shape our words, our choices, and the way we see and behave towards one another.

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As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, may we rediscover the wonder that God has come near—near enough to touch our lives, near enough to heal our wounds, near enough to lead us into hope.

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May the peace of Christ, born for us and dwelling among us, fill your hearts and homes this Christmas and throughout the coming year.

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With love in Christ,