Christmas is nearly upon us and judging by the shopping frenzy that is taking place and the mad rush to buy all the presents and still manage to find a bargain in the process, it is obviously a stressful time for some families. But for some people, Christmas will never be the same again.

I’m sure we can all remember a time when our world seemed to come to a sudden end. Someone close to us dies, or a member of the family faces a serious illness, a relationship fails, or we are faced with redundancy and the loss of income. What we depended on is suddenly taken away from us, and then it is like the sun being darkened, the moon losing its light and the stars falling from heaven. When our world comes to an end, we seem to have to wait a long time before there is any sign of the Son of Man making his presence known to us. Bereavement can go on for ages and depression takes a long time to lift, but even in the worst times, God is still with us in our suffering, although it may not seem obvious to us at the time.

Unfortunately, it is not only individuals but whole communities that are having an end of world experience at the moment. There are millions of homeless people living in refugee camps all over Europe, as they flee with their families to escape their war torn countries and seek a better life
elsewhere. Nearer to home we have the sight of many families in Cumbria having their homes ruined by flood water caused by the days of incessant rain and rising river levels. It was reported that one town had eighteen inches of rain in one day, equivalent to a month’s normal rain fall.

Farmers all over the region have reported that livestock have been swept away, with one farmer reporting on the news today that one of his missing cows turned up alive and well on a golf course twenty miles away.

As we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child into our sinful world, let us pray that God will draw people out of isolation and selfishness and into communities where people care for each other, share resources and discover again the deeper value of love and faith. Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace and goodwill, but we can only achieve this if we learn to love one another and turn to God in faith.