I don’t know whether you have noticed, but over the last year of 2021, the events that have been going on in our world happen to be things (words) that all begin with the letter ‘C’. Before your eyes have even moved down this page to what I have typed, I am sure at least one or two of these words will have already come into to your mind:

Covid – our global health crisis from a contagious virus

Climate Change – our global environmental crisis from human made CO2 emissions

Conflict – our global war crisis that continues in lots of ways

…you might not have been thinking of this fourth one, but it is a real problem

Consumerism – our global economic crisis through our addiction to consumption

Sometimes, it feels as if we want to just throw in the towel and give up, but there is hope with the Good News of all that has been happening at the same time:

Covid – vaccines were designed at record speed and are now being administered across the world

Climate Change – we are becoming more self-aware and making bigger changes in our lifestyles

Conflict – we are trying to work out better ways of dealing with conflict than always fighting

Consumerism – we are giving more attention to reducing our global addiction to consumerism

Hope can come through what we can achieve from within ourselves as human beings, but of course ultimate hope can only come through the biggest word beginning with C, Christmas, which is all about something from outside of ourselves from God. And what is the hope that Christmas brings?

H – He (God) came from heaven born in human form so we can know God and him us

O – On the Cross on Jesus died to offer forgiveness from all we have done wrong and a new start in life

P – People like you and me are invited to follow Jesus’ life and to change people and the world

E – Eternal life is on offer for all those who will trust in him

How can we know this Christmas hope personally? For it to be real, you just need to put your trust in the message of Christmas all year round and for the whole of life, and the last verse of the Carol ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ says it best. If you would like to know Christmas Hope, they are lovely words to say as a prayer:

What can I give him?
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd
I would give a lamb
If I were a wise man
I would do my part
But what I can I give him
Give him my heart

With my prayers for your Christmas and for December

Revd James – Rector St Peter’s Bishop’s Waltham and Blessed Mary Upham

Posted
12th November 2021

Filed under
James' Blog