In 2020 he is hoping his church family will grow in their love for God and one another.

"I am also hoping that more people in our town will understand God's love for them in Jesus Christ," Ben said.

"And that God will send soaking rain to our region and nation as a whole."

Here is his message for this special time of the year.

Promises at Christmas time.

Making promises can often be a dangerous thing to do.

All the same, we will make promises to those around us, because we want to assure someone of our intention to do something, maybe reassure someone of our concern for them.

"I promise I'll be there", "I promise I won't forget", "I promise I'll get that done for you".

We have all probably made a promise at some stage and then, for whatever reason, not been able to keep it.

At Christmas, parents need to be especially careful when it comes to speaking with their children about gifts.

Somehow simply speaking to a child about what they would like for Christmas can turn into an iron clad commitment on your life to get that gift for them.

Pity the parent that lets the words, "I promise I'll get that for you!" leave their lips only to find that the particular item in question is the number 1 toy at the moment, sold out weeks ago and will ship from America in three weeks!

Promises can be dangerous because, despite our best intentions, it is not always in our power to be able to keep them.

Maybe we are better off using phrases like, "I'll do my best to" or "I would love to be able to" instead.

When it comes to thinking about the way our Creator and Heavenly Father treats us, what, if anything, does God promise us?

What can we expect from Him?

If we think God is supposed to be a loving Father, we may claim that He should give us the good things that we want at the times that we expect them, but even our earthly parenting won't go well if that's our attitude.

No soaking rain to relieve and end the effects of drought.

Fires burning around us.

The other issues of life that we face.

Our lives and our world are not what they should be, and we feel that.

Is this what we should expect from God?

Roughly 800 years before Jesus was born, into the brokenness of the relationship between Himself and His people Israel, God speaks these words of promise through the prophet Isaiah that we hear often at Christmas.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

(Isaiah. 9:6-7)

This promise of God comes true in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus comes to earth to be our Saviour, to make peace between us and God possible through His death and rising to life again.

Jesus comes to earth as God's promised King, God on earth, to establish a certain hope that one day all the mess of the brokenness of our world that we experience will be wiped away, and peace, righteous and justice will be established once and for all.

That is what God promises and offers to us all.

Peace between us and Himself.

Hope that the mess of this world is not what He intended for us or wants for us, but one day He will renew all things.

When we understand and accept these truths, it helps us to try and hold on to the reality that God does love us, He is not absent from us or disinterested, but is instead working for the eternal good of those who love Him.

God can be trusted to keep His promises, because He is powerful to do so.

This Christmas the Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Carols and Lessons night, 7pm Sunday 22nd December as well as celebrating Christmas Day, 9am. Services at the Anglican Church will be 7pm Christmas Eve and 9.15am Christmas Day.

We pray that you will have a joyful and safe Christmas.

Ben France

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