A Weekly Reflection, Sunday, December 31, 2017
By: Bob Hetherington, Priest Associate
“In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” It is time to put Christmas in its largest perspective. We move from looking at angels and shepherds to a focus on God’s purpose for the human family – “the word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.” This baby that was born in the manger was the full revelation of God.
The next time we see Jesus, he is a full adult. To be a full human being all we have to do is look at Jesus. He is the model of how we are meant to live. We are called to live lives of love and compassion. We are called to be generous people. We are called to give our lives away on behalf of others.
We live in a world which hungers for people who can live this way. The world is full of pain and brokenness. Through witnessing to our faith we become God’s arms and legs working in the world for healing and reconciliation. We do this through:
- Prayer – offering our lives to God, making ourselves available for the work of reconciliation.
- Worship – gathering together to offer our prayers and praises to God as a community – gaining the focus that we are God’s people being renewed in God’s spirit.
- Building Community – ministry beings by offering support and encouragement to each other. We need this grounding in each other so we can better meet the challenges of our lives.
- Mission – going forth to serve the needs of the world. The more we give our lives away the richer the experience of living becomes: “he who would save his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Christmas marks the beginning of God’s journey with us as a human being. God leaves God’s realm of glory and joins the human family. We gain new energy and purpose. Now there is work to be done, a new year to be embraced.
What does God have in store for St. Mary’s Church in 2018?