Chris Cole FRSA

Many years ago around the Christmas period, I did an advertising campaign in some Plymouth newspapers which was sponsored by many Christian denominations and it was really simple. KNOW CHRIST - KNOW CHRISTMAS. Although this is a play on words it had a very important message. If we know Jesus Christ, we know what Christmas is really about.

The words of Jesus Christ in the New Testament - "I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give so don't be troubled or afraid" - could well have been the inspiration of the original Santa Claus.

It's more than just giving presents that makes Christmas magical. Even jolly old Santa has his roots in the Christian faith - the true story of Santa Claus began with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara, which is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

But, Bishop Nicholas would be turning in his grave to see that we have removed Jesus Christ, his saviour, from the Christmas narrative, and replaced Him with a folk-hero based on Nicholas' own life.

Peace of mind and heart is a tremendous spiritual gift from God. Its benefits include security, direction and vision for life. For many this gift has healed mental, physical and relational problems. It has also given vision to the purpose of life.

What a great gift for Christmas - peace of mind and heart. There are many excellent churches in this great city who, if truth be known, provide a lot of help and assistance to the welfare of our great city without making a fuss about it. Bishop Nicholas would have been proud of them, and would probably have urged them to do even more.

This Christmas why don't you consider attending church and asking God for His indescribable and FREE gift of HIMSELF.

Approach God honestly and you could be wonderfully surprised this Christmas.

This article was originally published in the Plymouth Shopper, a group of 7 localised community newspapers produced by Cornerstone Vision, reaching 62,000 homes every month in Plymouth. Each edition carries positive news stories and features, and provides local businesses, community groups and organisations with a very localised media platform to reach their own area.