Halfway
through the season of Christmas we bid farewell to the old year and welcome the
new. Some people will be enjoying
parties, while others won’t feel much like celebrating. The year just ending has brought happiness
for some and sadness for others, and for many there will have been a mixture of
good and bad things. Some will be facing
the coming year with feelings of expectation and hope, while for others there
will be anxieties about the future.
On
6th January the Church enters the season of Epiphany, which follows
on from Christmas. We think on that date
of the wise men who were led by a star to the infant Jesus. We don’t know much about their journey, but
Matthew’s Gospel tells us that they went first of all to the palace of King
Herod, an understandable mistake since they were looking for a newborn
king. Yet this error led to tragedy when
Herod, in his jealousy, ordered the massacre of innocent children. After the
wise men had presented to Jesus their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh,
they were warned about Herod in a dream, and so they returned to their own
country by another way. Then an angel
appeared to Joseph in a dream and the holy family fled to Egypt until it was
safe to return to their home in Nazareth.
The
much loved story of Christmas and Epiphany has its dark side too, though the
central message is of the Light of Christ, coming into the world and shining in
the darkness. The wise men were among
the first people to see and recognise that light. In the years to follow others would be drawn
to the light and love they saw in Jesus.
His followers came to recognise that he was the Messiah, or Christ,
whose coming had been foretold by prophets long ago. These events happened 2000 years ago, yet
today Christians still believe that the light and love of God that came into
the world at Christmas can shine in our hearts and lives and bring us hope in
our times of darkness. In the Church we
trace the story from Jesus’ birth, through to his ministry, his death and
resurrection and ascension into heaven. He is our Saviour and Lord, and through
the Holy Spirit we can know his presence with us always. The wise men had a star to guide them on
their journey. We too need guidance and
help, as we journey into the new year, and in our journey of life. All of us
have a mixture of sorrows to bear and good things to celebrate. If we put our faith and trust in God, through
Jesus Christ, we can look back and give thanks for the blessings we have
received, and we can face the future without fear.
Wishing you God’s blessing and peace in the coming
year,
Glynis Hetherington
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