I sincerely hope that something of the ‘Spirit of Christmas’ invaded your family and personal experience this Festive season, and that you can look forwards in 2014 with a sense of renewed hope and refreshed from the holiday.
Last month the world celebrated the passing of a great world leader who personified forgiveness and generosity of spirit. Nelson Mandela, like Ghandi and Martin Luther King, overcame incredible personal injustice and responded with a better expression of what is possible within the human spirit through moral conviction and courage. All three believed in something bigger than themselves. It was summed up by Martin Luther King – ‘If you have nothing worth dying for, you have nothing worth living for’.
Those words can encapsulate the bigger picture of fighting against injustice for the sake of the marginalised and oppressed in the cause of love. Closer to home, you and I can be a force for good within our own families. Often that process requires courage and conviction. Life can be very messy. Thank God He brings order out of chaos.
As we looked forward to Christmas, I wrote in my last article for the December Shopper that Jesus Christ was born to die. What He considered worth dying for was summed up by the prophet Isaiah (taken from ‘the Message’ version of the Bible):The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me.He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken,Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners.God sent me to announce the year of his grace – a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies – and to comfort all who mourn,To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory.They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. (Isaiah 61:1-7)
I pray for all of us that in 2014, the Grace of God in Jesus Christ will continue to be shown in the lives of His people and people of goodwill everywhere. That our city of Plymouth will experience the ‘goodness of God’ in every sector and that the ‘eyes and ears’ of our collective understanding will be open.