New babies at Christmas time by Sheila Johnson

It was a delight to travel to Portugal last weekend to see and hold our new grandson. A special blessing after our son and daughter-in-law suffered a still birth just over a year ago. The one they lost was a little girl, so thankful that this was a little boy and rang the changes. Why Portugal? Because my daughter-in-law, Mafalda (Portuguese for Matilda), is Portuguese and wanted to be at home with her mother to give birth. But my son was away from home and his parents, travelling to another land, not a strange land, as he had travelled there many times before but perhaps still reminiscent of another couple who we celebrate at this time of year. A couple, Mary and Joseph, who left their home village of Nazareth to travel to Bethlehem, because, Joseph, the Father (well, stand-in father anyway) was from the line of David based in Bethlehem and they went their to register for the census. 

Interestingly enough we have just had a census taken too. The result? Only 6% now register themselves as Christians. Should we be discouraged by this figure. No, our vicar said at church today. The 6% are more likely to be genuine Christians rather than just cultural Christians and so we should have more chance to tell them about the true gospel part of which is the Christmas story. In various ways, isn't that what we all aim to do as Christian writers? Share the stories of Jesus, whether overtly or subtly? 

Happy Christmas!

Sheila Johnson lives in Cheltenham and is a qualified journalist who has 

written for a number of publications both local and national. She has also written two books under her pen name Sheila Donald, Alpha Male and Waireka. Her website can be found at www.journojohnson.com