God is with us
This New Year message to each of you begins with a statement that wherever we are, however good or not so good that we are feeling at the moment, God is present.
Emmanuel, God with us, is not just an annual reminder of an event so many years ago, it is a statement and a promise that in the birth of our Saviour, God is with us.
I am aware that many of you have had to make changes to plans to travel or to visit family and friends as the pandemic continues. Conversations include the words “lateral flow test”, “PCR”, “booster jab” and of course “COVID”. There are things which we consider an essential part of Christmas: family sitting round the table with us, crackers with hats and dreadful jokes (at least in our house) that didn’t happen this year.
… even in difficult […] situations God is present and his purposes are achieved
And yet, Mary and Joseph still made their way to Bethlehem in difficult circumstances; Mary had to give birth to her first-born in unsanitary conditions with no one around to help and give support except for the probably very anxious Joseph. And yet she trusted God to do as was promised. It is a time to remind ourselves that even in difficult and far from what we wanted situations, God is present and his purposes are achieved.
In this year of our Lord 2022, let us remind ourselves throughout the year that God came to earth as a small helpless baby, to be born in our hearts through faith.
And however the year unfolds, whatever lies ahead, we are never alone, for God is with us. And our community of faith remains and grows stronger, together.
The Reverend Canon Debbie Flach