To all the contributors and readers here at AATW, merry Christmas! May this day of days, when we remember the birth of Christ, God incarnate, be a blessed one. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless you in all your ways, may He pour His blessings on your relationships, on your aspirations, on your trials and tribulations, on the ponderings in your soul. As you find yourself reflecting this Christmas on the good and the bad, call to Him in the depth of your heart, cast your cares upon Him, entrust your future to Him, and He will give you rest.

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper, and not to harm, you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

This is a time of year when we call Jesus our Saviour by the name Emmanuel, which in Hebrew means, “God with us”. God is always with us, ready to hear our prayers, and to those who put their trust in Him, He has promised never to leave them. So today, as you give a thought here and a thought there in prayer, remember that God is with you, right in your heart, a loving Father, a wise Counsellor, and a dear Friend.

As we look forward towards Epiphany and the new year, let us also entrust our future to God in the faith that He will return again and set this world right. The Baby born of Mary grew up to die on a Roman cross to defeat the powers of darkness, rescue us from sin, and reconcile us to God, from whom we have all strayed. He ascended into heaven, but promised to return one day as King of kings and Lord of lords – this kingship the Jewish shepherds and the Gentile magi recognised when they visited that holy Child in Bethlehem.

Merry Christmas and a happy, blessed new year to you all.