It’s thought that we will spend around £27 billion on gifts this Christmas in Britain.

Research by Oxfam revealed that 40% of us receive between one and four gifts at Christmas that we would prefer to do without.  30% of people put them out of sight, some bring them out if the giver visits whilst 10% throw them away and 6% give them back!  Toiletries topped the unwanted gift list including soap, bath bombs, moisturiser and body spray.

In the Bible we encounter the God of grace, the one who gives. In fact, the word grace means gift.

We read there that God loves his world and because of his great love he gives. But what are the gifts that God gives?

God gives us life and family, he created this beautiful world for us to live in, just think of all of the lovely food that we will enjoy over the Christmas season. But the greatest gift came wrapped up in a manger. We remember him as a little baby who would grow into a man. We can see that in fact, God gave us himself - Jesus.

He came to us in the world that we have broken, with all of the wrong that we do, and he gave his life as he died upon a Roman cross. He never did any wrong, but would die in the place of you and me in order to give us the greatest gift the world could ever know: forgiveness, peace with God and the hope of everlasting life.

Why not join with us this Christmas to find out more and to celebrate the greatest gift ever given: Jesus - God with us.