Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Advent day 18 (2020)

 


 

People of God: return!

You are called to be God’s own.

From the mountains announce the good news.

God comes in justice and peace,

to all who follow his ways.

You are God’s children.

Lord, make us one in the peace of Christ

today and for ever.

Amen.

 

Love, actually is the perfect Christmas film because it is so recognisable. For so many of us, this season is a fraught one, pressure ramped-up by office parties, school concerts, having to choose the perfect gift, the expectation of spending time with relatives you don’t, actually, want to be with. And for many more, a season that, unwelcome, magnifies our day-to-day isolation. Still, the season works it magic on us, bewitching us into believing that a better life is just about to begin—though we know that these will probably look bleak in the stark cold light of January. Yet, despite all this, and avoiding cynicism, we are reminded that sometimes it is when all the trappings that have accrued around Christmas are stripped away, that we discover again what truly matters—and that it might, actually, be all around us.

This year the coronavirus might make for a stripped-back Christmas—though it may well come with its own fraught-ness, and we might need to learn not to hate our neighbours who bring on a third spike by their actions. It might just be our own Love, actually moment. People of God: return!

 

No comments:

Post a Comment