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When
the song of the angel is stilled
When the star in the sky has gone
When the kings and the princes are home
The work of Christmas begins.
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To bring peace among people
To make music in the heart
The
Christmas stories were centred on 4 journeys:
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There is the journey to
Bethlehem, back to the place of family origins, back to Royal David’s
city.
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The there is the journey of the shepherds, a journey made in haste and
hope, in surprise and in wonder.
-
The journey of the Magi speaks of the world’s search for meaning and
understanding, the search for an answer to problems. Sometimes calling
them Kings and wise men somehow expresses the world’s dilemma about
whether the answer lies in knowledge or in power.
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Finally there is the journey to
Egypt, the flight of the Holy Family from Herod and from the terrible
slaughter of innocent children.
Well
perhaps for some of us there were similar journeys over Christmas. Most
journeys are either towards something or someone or they are away from or an
escape from the ordinary or the mundane. Perhaps there was a journey of the
heart, a search for some elements, some memories, some echoes of the past, a
revisiting of family origins, and a quest for things dimly remembered or
partially lost? Has it been a search for meaning and understanding, or has
it been a flight away from too much reality which has now to be faced again
in the cold grey light of the New Year.
The
holidays over the work of Christmas begins. All of us will have
opportunities this week, this month, this year to make small but all
important decisions between greed and grace, between lies and truth. We
shall all have moments when we canon our journey through life become
Christmas people ourselves – become loving words from a loving God. To
become living signs of grace and truth and to shine like lights in the
world.
The
season of Epiphany which we celebrate this month is about the light of the
world shining in the darkness. We see glimmers of hope in
Iraq, In the Ukraine, amongst the poor and homeless in
Africa,
in the peace initiatives in
Northern Ireland.
May these glimmers be enabled to glow more brightly by our constant prayers
and by the wisdom and justice of our leaders.
For
ourselves may 2005 bring hope and light into our lives that we too may be
confident in witnessing to our faith and sharing our vision with our
neighbours and families.
Vision Sunday will be on 23rd January and the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity begins on 18th January. There will be the Merton
Park Churches Together Ecumenical Service at St James Merton on Sunday 23rd
at 6-30pm. St Mary’s will be closed that evening.
To
lift the grey and gloom there is of course the pantomime Dick Whittington
put on by Parish players and finally to lift your spirits please come and
sing along in the Messiah on Saturday 15th January. We thank
those who have organised this event.
Happy New Year.
Your priest and friend
Tom
Leary
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