ON behalf of all the churches in the town and the villages around I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

The Bible tells us that the birth of Jesus is like a light shining in the darkness.  I am glad that we celebrate Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is dark and cold and we can light candles and gather round fires.  I don't fancy having Christmas lunch on the beach or complaining about the heat during a carol service.  Somehow the darkness makes the light shine brighter.

I was walking through  Fore Street in Okehampton, looking at our wonderful new lights and thinking that when Christmas is over and the lights come down this place is going to seem very gloomy.  Christmas has given us a lift, but I am concerned that when it is over the depression will settle on us again. 

That is why it is important to remember that the Christmas message is for 365 days a year: God is with us, he understands our life with all its joys and sorrows and he walks beside us on the road. 

When January comes we will need to work extra hard to support each other and to keep our community spirit alive.

The churches in the town will be here then as they have been for centuries, doing our best to shine a light in the darkness and to be open and welcome to all who want to come.

 God bless you, and may the Prince of Peace be with you.