The shortest day in 2024 was 21st December and since then the days have been getting longer and we’ll get more daylight each day until we reach the longest day in June. During these sometimes gloomy months bulbs that start flowering early, such as snowdrops, crocus and hyacinths, grow away in the dark, pushing their way through the cold soil, until they reach the light and give us the joy of seeing their flowers.The sun gives us light and warmth for free, but often in the winter we have to rely on electric lights and central heating, and may be worrying about the increased costs. A good way to keep warm and reduce loneliness is to meet up with others – invite a neighbour or friend round, or go along to a café for a hot drink and a chat. Mental health studies have shown that it is good for us to be connected with other people. And faith is good for us too – some MRI scan results indicate that in terms of brain function, talking to God resembles conversing with a friend.Thinking of light, I’m reminded of an amazing and thought-provoking painting of Jesus by artist Holman Hunt called ‘The Light of the World’, depicting Jesus standing outside a door and knocking to be let in. He is waiting in the dark with a lantern in his hand, but there is no door handle on the outside - the decision needs to be made by the person whose life and heart is being touched by Jesus. In the Bible we can read that Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ So, whether it’s enjoying the early Spring flowers, having coffee with a friend, snuggling up in the warmth of your own home with a good book or TV programme, or having a chat with God, I pray that you look forward to longer days as the sun shines higher in the sky, and also that you feel the constant warmth of Jesus’ love in your life. Revd Anne Mason (You can see the painting in St Paul’s cathedral.)
Christmas 1 Year C – 1 Samuel 2:18-20; 26; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-endBlink and you’ll miss it?How many times have you heard that said in relation to how quickly a young child seems to be growing up.How is it that, one minute they are a tiny little newborns, completely dependant on their parents or the adults around them, and the next minute they have their first teeth, are learning how to feed themselves, have mastered crawling and are getting more and more confident at standing and taking their first few steps. It may have taken a year to get that point, but it feels like it has all happened so very, very fast.Well, certainly this morning, it seems like a blink and you’ll miss it moment. Just a few days ago, on Christmas day, we left Jesus in the stable, with his parents, Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds dropping on by having been visited on the hillside by a great heavenly host. And in the blink of an eye, Jesus is now 12 years old.How did that happen!In our gospel reading this morning, we get one of just a few rare glimpses into the early life of Jesus.From Matthews gospel, we know that the holy family in Jesus’ early years, had to flee to Egypt, Joseph having been warned in a dream to flee and remain there until told he can return by the angel of the Lord, because Herod was about to search for the new born king to destroy him. But now, in our reading from Luke, the 12 year old Jesus, is living back in Nazareth with his parents Mary and Joseph, and living a relatively normal family life. Very much a part of the community in which they lived. And we come to our passage today. The only passage that we have that speaks of Jesus as a teenager, well almost a teenager, 12 years old. It is a passage that I am particularly fond of, it reminds me every time I read it, of my trip to Chelmsford Cathedral, as a 12 year old myself, where I had to recite this passage from memory, as part of my Bishops Choristers Medal. I didn’t get lost … but when Jesus goes to the temple with his family and friends, on the way back they realise, that he is no longer with them, and Mary and Joseph find themselves frantically searching for him for three whole days.Some of us, may have experienced that moment of absolute panic, when, in the blink of an eye, the child that one minute was standing right beside you in the shop or at the park, seems to have completely disappeared. In the few minutes that it might take to find them again, just down the next aisle, amongst a pile of toys, or hiding in the sandpit, so many things seem to rush through your mind, each scenario, somehow becoming worse than the last.We can only imagine what the pain is like, when that search goes on for days, weeks, months and even, sadly for some, for many, many years. For Mary and Joseph, Jesus is found, three days later. Almost, as it were, hiding in plain sight … where else would he be, but in the temple, or as Jesus puts it ‘In my father’s house.’We can only imagine the walk home, once the panic has subsided, perhaps the frustration would have set in as his parents wondered, where did he sleep? Who gave him food? Did no one ask where his parents were? Did he not see his travelling party leave?I am often left wondering … Was he grounded? What was his punishment? When Mary and Joseph find Jesus, they are astonished and are simultaneously still feeling the tortures that comes with fearing the worst about your child’s well-being. How could Jesus have been in the temple all this time? When they find him and ask how he could have done this to them, though, Jesus first reply is to wonder why they didn’t think to look for him where he was most likely to be found. In other words, they ought to have known where to find him.In the same way, we know where to find Jesus. But sometimes he still seems to get a bit lost to us, in the midst of the anxieties and pressures of life.On Christmas morning, I played a video clip I had made of the Advent trail we had had in West Bergholt, at the end, the little boy, James, who was sitting behind Geraint, was heard to say, ‘but she forgot Jesus.’Rest assured, I did not forget Jesus, but in a blink of the eye, with his attention obviously momentarily distracted, for the 7.84 seconds the image of Jesus was on the screen, James missed it. Actually Jesus was right at the centre of the video, just where you would expect him to be.But sometimes we lose sight of Jesus, even though he is right where we know he should be.So where will we find him? Where is Jesus’s father’s house? No longer simply the temple or a church building. No, according to Paul, each of us is the new living temple where Christ reigns in our hearts through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But one thing remains the same – the Father’s house is meant to be a place of prayer. So where do we find Jesus? We find him when we pray. Or as Paul encourages us in Philippians, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’In the final verses of our reading from Luke today, we heard these words.‘His mother treasured all these things in her heart.’We who have Christ dwelling in our hearts, need only to seek him, where we know he is to be found, in our hearts. The good news of Christmas is that the word became flesh and made his dwelling with us, among us …. in us! May we, like Mary, treasure him in our hearts today and always.Amen
