Many years ago, before email and Skype, I worked at the local tele- graph office in my home town. For several years I delivered telegrams on Christmas Eve to families whose husbands and children were away from home. After receiving a telegram, people often said, ‘Wait, we can’t let you go just like that, without a little piece of our Christmas!’ And then they would give me an apple, an orange or some sweets.

At that time, Christmas was a personal family holiday. After a brief visit to church, we celebrated behind closed doors as a family. But there is nothing private about Christmas. The good news of the birth of Jesus is for people around us and throughout the world.

The presence of Jesus is our greatest hope. In Jesus there is hope that people of different nationalities and beliefs can understand and respect each other. In him we have hope that families who have experienced pain and tragedy will be able to be reconciled and draw closer to each other. In Jesus we have hope that we can leave behind all mistakes, regrets and sins and be reconciled with God. So we need not hesitate in bringing a piece of the good news of Christmas to every- one we meet today and throughout the New Year.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the joy of Christmas. Help us to share that joy with others. Amen