Focus on reason for the season
Despite upheavals, there’s still good news
Back in February I wrote an article which was entitled “Coping with the unexpected” and it included reference to the deluge that engulfed Auckland in late January . . . little did I know that worse was to come with Cyclone Gabrielle about to be unleashed across the Coromandel peninsula, Gisborne, Wairoa and the Hawkes Bay regions.
And what a year it has been . . . the unexpected has not only hit New Zealand, but all around the world earthquakes, floods, and fires have raged, murders and robberies are common place, even in New Zealand, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows no signs of coming to an end, and recently Hamas unleashed the surprise attack on Israel and the terrible enfolding drama continues to fill our TV screens.
Added to these disasters comes the ever-encroaching impact of technology on our daily lives. So many cameras record most of what we do, artificial intelligence is advancing into the employment scene at an accelerating rate, mobile phones and internet connections dominate our lives making many jobs a 24/7 experience.
However, as we reflect on all these unexpected and primarily unwanted intrusions into our lives, we can also recognise that life has always been like this . . . human history is littered with stories of inhumane, unjust things that people have inflicted upon one another on the one hand and the rapid advancement of technology on the other causing unemployment for some while creating major new fields of employment for others.
Despite all the unexpected events and upheavals caused by nature and technology there has been a message around for 2000 years that receives fresh focus each Christmas season . . . the message that God so loves this broken, distorted world, that He sent his Son to be its Saviour
. . . the reason for the Christmas season is summed up in a name — Jesus.
I wonder if you have encountered the love of Jesus. The love of someone who was prepared to lay down his life so that you and I could experience love, hope, joy, and peace in the midst of a world that continues to throw the unexpected in our direction.
Perhaps it’s time to have an unexpected conversation with the God who loves you.