A Flight of Fancy for Friday - Advent 23

Joy to the World

 (Photo krb - 2022)

By chance I just heard my favorite Christmas Carol - well it is my favorite at the moment but that is always is and should be fluid. I turned on ABC Classic and there it was - the Coventry Carol. It is a carol from the 16th century, sung as part of a mystery play "The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors" performed in Coventry. In so many ways it captures the beauty, wonder and sorrow of Christmas. 

Certainly, Christmas is a time of joy as the birth of a baby always should be whatever the circumstances. And this birth, as we are told in the birth narratives in Gospels of Luke and Matthew, is special. It is a moment filled with wonder to all who witness it. The parents bewildered but filled with joy and hope at the birth of their baby; the shepherds, the most ordinary of people filled with awe and wonder as the skies fill with the heavenly host and soon enough the wise men bringing their special gifts to worship the baby. All are amazed at the unfolding of the story.

But there is always an edge to this story as there is so often around new beginnings. It occurs against a backdrop of terror and oppression. Soon enough the visit of the wise men brings upon the scene the risk to the child and the murder of innocent children around Bethlehem. We must never allow the horror of this tragic scene to pass us by, masked by the inherent joy and wonder of the birth.

So, to my mind Christmas is a time of mixed emotions. We should celebrate with joy this special time but we should also spare a thought for those in our community for whom it is not an easy time; for those who are homeless - an increasing problem at this time; for those who find, perhaps for the first time, that they simply cannot make ends meet; for those who have lost loved ones recently or earlier for whom Christmas brings both special memories but also a great sense of loss.

And this year as in so many years, we celebrate against a backdrop of devastating world affairs. We mourn the loss of thousands of innocent people caught up in a conflict that is not of their making, and which seems to be driven by individual's quest for power. We wonder greatly at the inability of powerful nations to exert their influence to bring a cease to hostilities. We wonder at our own powerless in this situation. But we must balance this against our hope that is reborn every day. Our hope which is born out of our belief that we have the opportunity to be the agents for the coming into being of God's Kingdom on earth - a Kingdom of peace and justice for all - that comes into being whenever we commit ourselves to others in unconditional love.

This is the last in this series of reflections for Advent. Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me. I wish you all every blessing for Christmas and the New Year. I will be back in the New Year with my regular email reflections. Until then.

Advent and Christmas peace and blessings to all.