The Archbishop of Canterbury writes,

Christmas is, for many, a busy time of year filled with the joys of carol singing, presents and celebrations with family and friends. For others, Christmas can be a lonely time shaped by sadness and memories.

Christmas can also be a time to pause and reflect. In fact, that’s one of the ways we can unwrap the true gifts of Christmas – a moment of peace in the busyness, a breakthrough of hope in our sadness or a rediscovery of love in a relationship that has become stressed.

#GodWithUs: Your Christmas Journey seeks to help you explore what the Christmas story might mean in your life. The constant refrain of Christmas, in carols and readings, is that God is with us. In whatever situations you find yourself this Christmas, God is with you – you need only turn to him and ask to know his presence.

My prayer is that these reflections help you unwrap in your own life God’s gifts of peace, hope and love. May your Christmas journey lead you closer not just to the heart of Christmas, but to the person of Jesus whose birth we celebrate in this wonderful season.

You can sign up on the CoE website to receive the series of 13 short reflections.