A Word In Season

The Vicar Writes….. Dear friends, The nights are growing longer, darker and colder. The weather forecasters have been telling us that this winter will be a hard one. So turn the light on, sit down by the fire and fix the imagination on the Light of Christ shining out in the darkness of the world. The world is still just as dark as it was in the time of the first Christmas. Ruthless tyrants like Herod still exist, along with poverty, terrorism, gun crime and people harming themselves through drugs or alcohol. It is a dark world in need of light. The Wisemen were looking for Starlight. Maybe they had only a hazy idea of what they were seeking. There must be more to life, a quality that was missing from their lives; and so they left the comfort and stability of their home surroundings to set out on a quest. They were drawn, though at the time they did not fully understand this, not just by the light of the Star of Bethlehem, but by the Light of Christ. Christ still draws people to Himself. Something within people longs to come into the Light of His Presence. Often, seeking this light and continuing to seek it may come at a cost. That price can include the loss of security, stability and comfort, making it tempting to stop along the way. But stepping towards His light can bring deeper security, more enduring stability and comfort through the sure knowledge of being held by the Love of God. It is the Love of God that draws people further and deeper, unsettling those who grow too comfortable, for in the end true comfort is found in Jesus alone. With every blessing for Christmas and the New Year – Follow His Light. Ron Elverson