On the last Sunday of October, the clocks went backwards and the evenings became darker. For many, the world may also seem to have taken a step backward and be a darker place than it was. Not only do we have a war in Europe between Russia and Ukraine, but we also have the ongoing conflict between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours. Global security seems to be increasingly fragile as we witness not only the election of a new American President but also growing concerns about a dominant China and the continent of Asia. Much has changed at home too – for now we have a new Labour government, trying out new things and implementing new policies. Many are left wondering, “What will all this mean for me? Will I have a better future or a poorer one?” Only time will tell! Even much-loved institutions such as the Post Office and the Church have shown just how fragile they can be, prone to human vulnerability and corruption just like the rest of us. So, in a changing and uncertain world, where can we put our faith and trust – and where can we find peace?
Advent is a time not only for anticipating the joys of Christmas and time well spent with our families, friends and loved ones, but also time when we can reflect upon the love that God has for a broken world, and the incredible steps that he took upon himself to break into that world and demonstrate his love for it. For in the birth of Christ we see God taking upon himself our humanity, not so that he could succumb to its imperfections, but so that he might atone for them. The baby born at Christmas grew up to be the Saviour of the world, not only through his teaching, but also through his person, literally dying for it upon a cross – taking upon himself not only our humanity but our sin and its punishment (and yes I include you in that), so that when we put our faith and trust in him, we might receive not only forgiveness but also a genuinely new perspective which totally transforms our hearts and the way that we experience life – not just for the current moment, but for all eternity.
It is therefore no wonder that St John in his Gospel describes Jesus as a light which ‘shines in the darkness’ (John 1.5) and ‘the light that shines in the world’ (John 1.9). Although it may be true that ‘the darkness’ has not always ‘understood it’ (the light) neither has it overcome it. Therefore, the world is not quite as dark as it might have been if God had not stepped up and stepped forward into the world. This means that whenever a person recognises Christ to be their Lord and Saviour, then, step by step, person by person, heart by heart, the world is changed and transformed – and that’s the joy and peace of Christmas.
May I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ … ‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world’. John 3.16,19
Stephen Thorp 