There have been some beautiful sunrises over the Christmas break, the mixture of the cold frosty atmosphere and the sun’s rays breaking through have been wonderful to see in the fields that surround our house and yet, although each morning announces the start of a new day there are something's which remain the same.
At the start of our advent journey we considered the fact that Advent was not about new truths, but old truths that have never changed. The Christmas story really happened, there was a day, there was a birth, in a city, in a real place some two thousand years ago. As we leave Advent behind and look to the start of the new school term we will be reflecting on the fact that the truth of Christmas continues to have relevance and impact on our lives today.
God’s love shown at Christmas was a gift to us, a gift for everyone to receive. A question that is not new is how do we respond to this in our daily lives?
The most obvious link that comes to mind would be the way in which we relate to each other as a response to the love that God has shown us.
In our assembly hall we have placed on the front wall the words of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul’s description of what love is and what it is most certainly not. Having survived a Christmas feast of films over the past week, these verses certainly turn on its head the emotional, transient love that seems to be at the centre of Hollywood’s vision of love. Although I have to admit that the love shown so wonderfully in Shrek, goes some way to adjusting the balance!
How is love worked out in our every day lives, how do we demonstrate the call to love our neighbour as ourselves? None of these are new questions, but they remain crucial in the way we choose to respond to the truths of Christmas.
May the words of 1 Corinthians 13 be a guide to us as we enter 2015. As we explore it together, may we deepen our understanding of the love that has been at the centre of the season of Advent that we have just traveled through and how this love can manifest itself in our every day lives in our school , our church and in our local community.
