The minister writes… from our December 23 January 24 newsletter
Dear friends,
As I write this we’re soon to begin the season of Advent, where we contemplate the coming of Jesus, remember the first Christmas and anticipate the time when he will come again. It’s interesting to think that our knowledge of Jesus’ birth is based on accounts in just two of our gospels (Matthew and Luke) and yet so much has been added to the story over the years and many traditions have built up around it, different ones according to the country you live in. Sometimes it can be hard to separate gospel from legend and, sadly, the wonderful truth at the centre of the Christmas message is often ignored or seemingly overwhelmed by the noise of secularism and commercialism.
As to the second coming, well Jesus himself talked about signs or clues as to when it might be near and perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered if it is not so far off, what with everything going on in the world (‘wars and rumours of wars,’ increasing environmental concerns, the emergence of a global economy, and the loss – in much of society – of a moral and spiritual compass). Yet one thing Jesus was very clear about was that no one knows the day appointed by God.
I don’t know where the quote came from, but it is a true one which states that ‘the past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is ours in which to make a difference – which is why it is a gift.’ The present moment is a gift to us and we can use it to give to others.
The Methodist Church has a theme for this Advent and Christmas: ‘Out of the Ordinary’ and there are various posters which you will see appearing and postcards for you to take and give away. They have a scratch-off icon which invites the recipient to ‘scratch beneath the surface this Christmas’ and a QR code on the reverse which links with thoughts about the divine being found in and around us. There are different postcards for the different weeks of Advent. Please do take one each week – or two – one for you and one to give to someone else. You might want to write on the reverse and invite them to our Carol Service on 17th December or, if it’s a family you’re passing it on to, invite them to Messy Christmas on 16th December when, amongst lots of other activities, we will make Christingles and sing carols.
The first Christmas was very much ‘out of the ordinary.’ How can we make our present one something different, more special, more out of the ordinary?
A final thought: Christmas is one day in the calendar but the message of Christmas, that’s for every day. If we keep alive in our hearts the wonder that God should send his Son to be born as one of us, live among us, love us and die for us, then there is nothing the future holds which can truly dismay us – because we are his and he will be with us no matter what.
May you have Christmases which are ‘out of the ordinary’ and may you enter 2024 with the love of God in your hearts, your hand in Christ’s and your footsteps guided by the Holy Spirit.
With every blessing,
Sharon