If you have ever been to an optician, you will know that you will go through a series of tests, to help determine the heath of your eye, from the blind spot test, to puffing air into your eyes to check for pressure, to photos being taking of your eyes.

After all those initial tests you are then given the final sight test. If your like me, when you are asked to take your glasses off to read and it can be a bit of challenge as they ask you to read a line of letters that seems tiny, and your desperately trying to work out whether the letter is an O or a D - and you end of guessing and likely getting it wrong.

But then you put on a pair of ‘cool’ glasses (I use that term very loosely) and they put different lenses in and they ask you to re read the lines of letters and ask you whether things are better, worse or same.

Why do they do this? Because they want to find the correct prescription that will enable you to see more clearly and bring clarity to that which you were struggling to see. I am thankful for my glasses, because without them I would not be able to legally drive my car, I would definitely get headaches and knowing what it’s like when I get up at night half asleep, I am more likely to bash into things. Being able to see where your going is so important.

In the same way as believers we need to be able to see clearly; to see the things that God is wanting to do in us and through us, and to be able to see our world through his eyes. God calls us to have eyes of faith, eyes that are not distracted or blurred by the things of this world, (opinions and actions) but whose eyes are instead focussed on the ‘author and perfecter of our faith.’

The eyes of faith, enable us to see beyond circumstances, they give us hope for a better future, it enables us to be moulded into the person that God wants us to be, it gives us direction so that we might accomplish everything that God has in store for us.

But much like I need to go to the optician to check that my prescription is still doing what it needs to do to allow me to see, we need to be regularly making sure that we are looking through the lens of faith - that gives us assurance for now and unbreakable hope for the future in eternity rather than through the optics of cynicism that come from cultural opinion, peer pressure and fear - that the enemy uses to knock you off track.

In the book of Numbers 13 we find the account of ‘God’s People’ wandering around the desert, when God tells Moses to send out Twelve spies to spy out the land to bring back a report in readiness for them to take the land he had promised to them. Ten came back filled with fear Numbers 13 v 27-28 -  “We went into the land to which you sent us and it flows with milk and honey! Here is it’s fruit’s BUT the people who live there are powerful and the cities are fortified and large." 

But two came back filled with the eyes of faith - Numbers 13 v30 says “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

What happened? Sadly the Israelites sided with the ten, they allowed their fears to over run them, rather than looking with the eyes of faith and the result was no one entered the promised land…except Joshua and Caleb, the two spies that had the faith to believe that however bad it looked, God would come through for them. They entered the promised land and experienced God’s abundance.

May you and I learn to cultivate eyes of faith that see the possibilities of what God can do rather than looking at the potential pitfalls. 2 Corinthians 4 v 18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Best Wishes - Pastor Steve 

“Steve is honest, supportive, loyal, likes to have a good laugh and is a choc-a-cheese-a-holic 😂”

“Pastor Steve is one of the most enthusiastic people I know. He makes me laugh and is such an encourager. I love working with him and having him as our pastor (Although he never puts the kettle on!)”

I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t like to be encouraged (I can assure you I didn’t pay the people to say that, honest!!!)  There are so many ways that people may describe us, depending on our relationship with them and how well they know us, it will hopefully be nice and uplifting, but the truth is perhaps there are people who wouldn’t quite describe us in the way that perhaps we would like. 

We make mistakes and we can hurt people, sometimes purposely but sometimes without really realising we have done it. We can be misinterpreted, we can be caught by someone at the wrong time and say or do things we don’t really mean.

However nice we are, we are NOT perfect - Philippians 3 v 12 in the CEV says, “I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect.”

Every single person in this world by their very nature is sinful, even though many of us claim not to be, or we think we are better than others; well, I’m not a murderer, I don’t steal, I’m not abusive like others, so it’s ok. But this is what the Bible says in Romans 3 v 23 - “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

And 1 John 1 v 8 says it like this, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

Yet if we class ourselves as believers in Jesus, we are called to be DIFFERENT and to be like him: ‘Be holy as I am holy’. Now, that doesn’t mean we suddenly become perfect and no longer do anything wrong, that’s unrealistic. However, we need to be working towards becoming more like Christ, who is perfect. 

In Philippians 3 v13 the Apostle Paul says. “But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.”

You and I are a work in progress. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and saviour you have been adopted into his family, you are sons and daughters of the king. We don’t belong to this world, we belong to Jesus, and therefore, to a KINGDOM & way of life that is counter cultural…We are called to live a life that is characterised by our love for Jesus and for others, as we are shaped to become more like him and as we are commissioned to bring God’s love, hope and good news to the world around us. We must not forget…

We are ‘Kingdom People’…

In 2026, our church focus for the year is ‘Kingdom People’ and we will be seeking to:

RE:CALL the kingdom values and principles that God has laid out for us in scripture - Digging deeper into their meanings and looking at how we can practically apply and live out these principles in our day to day lives.

RE:DISCOVER the role we are called to play in God’s kingdom purposes and the power we have at our disposal to do this.

RE:IGNITE our passion for God’s kingdom by encouraging, training, equipping and providing opportunities to reach into Ryedale, sharing the good news of the gospel so his kingdom would be built.

My prayer for us this year is that we might be different in our words, actions and over all demeanour, so that we might ultimately point people to Jesus. 

Best Wishes,

Pastor Steve

Spend less…save more, ask for a pay rise, improve work life balance, eat healthier, exercise more, lose weight, learn a new skill, read more books, take a day off, worry less, step out your comfort zone, travel to a new place, learn a language, spend more time with your friends…

To be honest these ideas are nothing new, through every generation the ideas have been pretty much standard. We know that we often spend too much so saving seems like a good idea, many of us work too hard (even when we retire) and don’t take time to relax, some of us struggle with taking days off, whilst others have perhaps become too comfortable.

The trouble is most of us set out with the right intentions at the start of the year, or even part the way through the year, but the busyness of life seems to quickly take over and we kick the good idea down the road until we have more time… however, all we end up doing is having the same conversation this time next year.

It’s not just the losing weight, the saving more, or the getting our work-life balance right, where we can fail, but it can also be in the spiritual disciplines of our Christian faith where we can perhaps look over the last year and realise we can be found wanting… we haven’t prayed, read our Bible, or shared our faith as much as we should.

With every failed pursuit, whether it be a spiritual discipline or a goal we set ourselves, it can often make us feel guilty and a failure, so it becomes even harder to set a new goal for the next year incase we fail again and, therefore, we sometimes give up altogether.

This can be a real issue in our walk with Jesus. We set out with big goals of reading through the Bible in the year, spending an hour every day in God’s presence, or wanting to share your faith with a friend. You start off well, but by day three you’re already struggling, and by the end of the week you have stopped all together.

I think somewhere along the line we have misunderstood what the Christian faith is all about. Spending time praying or reading the Bible should not be a task or a chore that needs to get ticked off a list, or a resolution that becomes your year’s toughest challenge. Imagine if you talked to your spouse like that - “I’m going to work really hard to spend time with you this year, it’s going to be tough, there will be things I would rather do, I might even stop,  but I’m going to do my best to stick it out, because it’s the right thing to do.” - Good luck with that!!!

So why at times are we guilty of doing exactly that with the God we claim we love?….The primary purpose for reading the Bible and praying is not ritual but it is to spend time with the living God, our saviour; to encounter Jesus, build relationship and get direction for our day to day lives. 

I wonder how many times in the last year we have got into bad habits and allowed our attitude, our focus and/or our motives to be wrong when we have come before God, or that something has pushed God from no. 1 priority in our lives? 

As we move into 2026, may we make a renewed effort to see our times with God as more than an exercise but a life giving opportunity to grow - grow closer to God and grow in depth of faith and character - recognising that every day is a fresh opportunity to connect with Jesus regardless of what else is going on in our lives, for Lamentations 3 v 22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Putting God first will always be the best option as Matthew 6v33 tells us - “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Best Wishes,

Pastor Steve.

Christmas is my Life - You live for Christmas! You are planning things all year round; you start buying presents in the January sales... for next Christmas; you decorate your tree and play Christmas songs in November; you watch as many Christmas films as you can; you  enjoy every moment, trying to squeeze out as much Christmas spirit as possible - after all  it’s all about the journey!

The Organisers - Your Christmas is like a military operation. From the decorating to the buying of presents, to the making of Christmas dinner - everything has its time and its place and lists are a plenty! Life is busy, but that’s how you like it. The joy is in the organisation.

Christmas = Family - Your Christmas centres around family - without your family Christmas is nothing. You live for the laughter, the hugs, the conversations, children screaming with delight, the lovely food and funny games. It’s not so much about the trappings as it is about who is present.

The Stress Heads - When you look at Christmas all you feel is stress (you’re even getting stressed just reading this) thinking about how you will afford the presents, cope with the people, the long journeys, over tired children/grandchildren, potential conflict with family or the in-laws. Christmas is not so much a joy as it is a headache.

The Weary - You have been ready for a break since the summer holidays, as much as you enjoy having family around, all you want to do is sit in your favourite chair, relax, sleep, or read a good book, letting Christmas happen around you.

The Lonely - Christmas is just something you must endure, and need to get through, as you contemplate what you no longer have. It’s often tinged with pain and sadness as you know you can’t just pick up the phone, receive a hug, or have just one more Christmas with the ones you love.

When you look at that list, there may be one statement that characterises your Christmas, or you may feel that you are characterised by a mixture of two or three. We are all different, and it’s likely that we all approach Christmas in slightly different ways depending on family traditions, values, personal circumstances, and our own expectations - which are often driven by our personal experience or the culture around us.

It’s nice that we can buy presents, it’s good that we can spend time with family, decorate the tree, play silly games, and eat copious amounts of food - but is that really what Christmas has come to? Just an opportunity to spend too much and eat too much, surrounded by family and friends? That’s certainly what society would want us to believe.

Christmas, however, is about so much more… it’s about HOPE. We live in a world that can often be described as being filled with despair, anxiety, frustration, fear, and confusion. You only have to turn on the news, scroll through social media, speak to your neighbours, or just look at your own circumstances, to see that life is often full of challenges that can make us feel hopeless as we try to find our way in an often confusing world.

It’s about a HOPE that shines like a light in the darkness. We celebrate Christmas not because of an event, or a season, but because of a person, and his name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus, born miraculously over 2,000 years ago to a young virgin girl named Mary and her husband to be Joseph. Born in the most ordinary of circumstances - in a stable, placed in a feeding trough for animals - yet no ordinary child. The ‘Son of God’ (God in human form) sent to earth to be the saviour of the world, who would eventually be led to the cross to die for humanity (for you and me) and to bring HOPE to a lost world.

Isaiah 9v6-7: “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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness 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 forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

So, in the weeks to come as you contemplate whether to have that extra Yorkshire pudding, as you gaze at the present you have just received and say “really?!?”, as you decorate the tree, play games, or do whatever else your Christmas brings, may we remember what it’s really all about…The HOPE of Jesus, that brings assurance in the loudness, the busyness, the tiredness, the peace, the loneliness, or the pain and sorrow. A HOPE that is not just for Christmas but for every day of our lives.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone.

Best Wishes,

Pastor Steve.