Village Shepherd

For many people, childhood memories of Christmas are of a time of great excitement and fun and delight. Those who are lucky enough to have loving and supportive families enjoy a family time of warmth and comfort and pleasure, with family games played together, gifts given and received and feasts eaten together. Those are often the memories of Christmas.

But the reality may be a little different. Certainly there are the games and the fun, the gifts and the food, but for some people there may also be a tinge of sadness because someone special was absent this year. A tinge of sadness which wasn't allowed expression, which had to be kept hidden in order not to spoil all the jollity for other people and especially for the children. And for many families, Christmas isn't all sweetness and light. People get frazzled, tempers fray, emotions boil and relationships break down, because we just don't know how to take all the manufactured happiness. "Relate", the marriage guidance counsellors, have more clients over and just after Christmas than at any other time of year.

But then comes New Year with a feeling of renewed hope, with a feeling that this year might be different, might be better.

It was something like this for the Israelites after their return from exile. The return after more than two generations away from their homeland, was marked by feasting and joy, merriment and gladness. Yet it wasn't all sweetness and light. The memories of a time of suffering and pain in exile were very recent and still raw, and the new life promised by God not yet completely established.

The prophet sometimes known as Third Isaiah, who finishes the book of Isaiah, describes the present time of rejoicing in terms of a wedding banquet. He says, "my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." And Isaiah goes on to describe a time in the future when God will save the holy city, Jerusalem, and its inhabitants, and when the whole world will see or join in God's actions.

For Christians, this time of fulfillment is seen in Jesus. All nations at least know about Jesus, even if they don't all worship as Christians.

But Christianity has been around now for 2000 years and the world with its human beings still has many shortcomings. Isaiah describes either Jerusalem or the people of God as "a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Yet Jerusalem at the moment is far from that and the people of God seem to make little impact on the world as a whole.

There are still wars and rumours of wars. Some officials in the USA have argued in favour of using torture to extract information in extreme circumstances. People are still raped, abused, violated and murdered. Families still fall out with each other, relationships continue to break down. Two thirds of the world continues to starve while the other third enjoys a very comfortable lifestyle. There is still corruption in high places. Those with wealth are invariably treated better than those in poverty. There are still many human beings who don't receive education or medical care. The threat of global warming and pollution is increasing at an alarming rate and yet we seem powerless to tackle it.

Where is the vindication which shines out like the dawn? Where is the salvation which blazes like a burning torch? Where is the crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, the royal diadem in the hand of God? Both natural disasters and man-made disasters constantly affect our world. Why should this new year be any different?

Perhaps the answer lies within us. As human beings go, we are little people. We are not important people with lots of influence, but little people with a tiny amount of influence within our own circle. But this is exactly how Jesus started his ministry, with a group of little people who were unimportant and had no influence beyond their own circles.

Those little people were so moved by the story of God and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that nothing could stop them from repeating their story and their beliefs. They weren't stopped by social disapproval. They weren't stopped by community ridicule. They weren't stopped by the decrees of those in authority. They weren't stopped by torture, punishment or death. They were so filled with God himself that nothing mattered except telling the story and proclaiming the message.

Through the acts of those earliest followers, millions came to believe. And through that Christian belief, we have a national conscience. We have laws which are firmly based on Christian principles. Poor as our care may sometimes be, we do have a social conscience.

This year could be different. This year could see a real change for good in the world. But only if every one of us is so moved by the story of God and by God's presence within our lives that nothing will stop us from repeating that story wherever we are. It's down to us. If every one of us plays our part, then this year our world could be the crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, the royal diadem in the hand of God.