I’ve often heard it said of Christmas, usually in supermarket queues, “Well it’s for the children really”. Well it’s not!
Christmas is for all of us. It’s not just a birthday, but like the Sabbath, it’s God’s gift to us!
However, there will be many of us who will be visited by the Ghost of Christmas past and may experience regret at past events or may be feeling pain at the loss of a loved one; or may fear the Ghost of Christmas yet to come! It can be hard to see celebrations going on around you when you feel unable to join in.
But honestly, I’m not saying “Bah-humbug!” I want to celebrate what some call “the sacrament of the present moment”, and that means recognising life’s ups and downs, walking on the “mosaic pavement”!
If you really study a candle flame you’ll see that at the base and in the centre there is a dark region. This is where the wax vapour has not yet burned. As the vapour moves out to meet the oxygen it will burn, giving heat and light. We are not trapped in darkness. God’s light does come into the World.
We’re constantly told that we are all almoners, so let’s reach out to a person in pain this Christmas. But don’t be a Secret Santa, be open about it. That way they know that they do have a friend.
So, I wish you a happy Christmas and joy in the New Year.
Howard
V.W.Bro. Howard Pashley
Provincial Grand Chaplain