FROM THE MINISTRY TEAM

February 2007

Revd. Jonathan Watson

Dear Friends

By way of a post-Christmas break, Alison and I have just spent a few days away in Madeira and I am writing this just after our return in mid January. One of the things that Madeira is famous for are the spectacular Christmas decorations which decorate not just the capital Funchal, but all the towns and larger villages as well. What struck us particularly was the large number of crib scenes which were placed in prominent positions beside the road in every settlement. One 100 metre stretch of the main road through central Funchal had 3 big cribs; one with life size figures occupying the whole of an open air stage, another in lights illuminated at night, and a third showing a typical Madeira landscape, with the houses and tracks and people all focussed on a central crib scene. What is more, the coming of the Kings (Epiphany) is specially celebrated, and traditionally a particular cake is made for the occasion - we shared some. And the cribs, unlike ones in this country, were left in place well after “the twelfth day of Christmas”, January 6th. A visitor from outer space, seeing the prominence of scenes showing the birth of Christ, would have no doubt about the importance of this event in the life of the people.

Would the same be true for a visitor to Midhurst or to other parts of this country over the three weeks each side of Christmas? I very much doubt it. The Times reported that in a poll in December of 1,063 children aged 7 - 11 for the BBC’s Newsround, only 44% thought that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Another newspaper report said that something like 97% of the Christmas cards produced in this country in 2006 had nothing to do with the events relating to the birth of Jesus. One town even went so far as to decide that it was politically incorrect to refer to Christmas and wanted to use the term “Winterval” instead.

Isn’t it about time that we as Christians stood up more for our faith? A number of the Psalms contain laments that God’s name is being dishonoured; for instance, “a foolish nation has dishonoured your name” (Psalm 74 v 18). This happens when Christian worship is banned from our school assemblies; or a Christian presence is excluded from public life; or we stop praying for our nation and its leaders. It’s as if we are saying to God, “We don’t want you involved”. Yet people are quick to complain when disasters happen, “Why didn’t God stop this from happening”? I feel that I have been too acquiescent as the erosion of a Christian influence in our society continues, and I am sure that I am not alone. It is so easy to say, “What can I do?”, and do nothing.

What did the Psalmist do? He prayed for a return of God’s presence in the nation so that as they saw God at work they were able to give him the honour due unto his name.

What did the early church do? They found that knowing Jesus was something so special (Paul in Philippians said “I consider everything else worthless compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”) that it changed their lives. The result was so striking that it impacted on society around them and caused comments such as, “See how much they love one another”. Is my life any different from those around me in Midhurst because I know and love Jesus?

What can we do? We can start by following in the Psalmist’s footsteps, praying for a greater awareness of God’s presence and activity and honour in our nation and in our town of Midhurst. Remember also that Lent starts in mid February and it provides a reminder of the need to spend time to get to know Jesus better. As the Psalmist said, “Be still (the Hebrew means “relax”) and know that I am God”. The more we get to know Jesus the more we will love him; the more we love him the more central he will become in our lives, and the more that happens, the greater will be our impact on society around us. What the impact will be depends on how we react to his promptings. For some it may be writing letters of protest to MP’s if the occasion arises; for others it may involve the way we relate to others who live in our road; or it may mean being more open about our faith. One thing is for sure, the events we celebrate on and around Christmas Day will have a meaning that affects us throughout the rest of the year.

I close with a prayer from the book “Still Waters, Deep Waters” edited by Rowland Coucher. “May the love of the Lord Jesus be poured out into your heart by his Holy Spirit; may the knowledge of him be deeply impressed upon your mind, and may his strength enable you to keep on keeping on”. May this be true for you.

Jonathan Watson