St Peter & St Pauls Church
Aylesford, Kent.
United Kingdom 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. John 1 verses 1-3

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH 

"Happy are they who throw themselves with bowed head and closed eyes into the arms of the "Father of mercies" and the "God of all consolation", as St Paul said. Then we desire nothing so much as to know what we owe to God, and we fear nothing more than not to see enough what he is asking for. As soon as we discover a new insight into our faith, we are transported with joy like a miser who has found a treasure." "Christian Perfection" by Francis Fenelon

Dear Friends,

Let us imagine, for one moment, that I was suddenly transported back in time 200 years and met a local clergyman. Let us also imagine that this amazing event took place on Wednesday 23rd November 2005, landing me in the year 1805.

"What have you done so far this week?", the vicar may have asked me.

"Well, on Sunday 27th November the Archbishop of Canterbury visited my church and danced a jig in the nave. Then on Monday I flew in an aeroplane to Bratislava, drinking a cup of coffee on the way five miles above Germany."

Do you think the vicar would have believed me? Probably not, is the answer to that! Aeroplanes had not been invented in 1805, and the idea of the Archbishop of Canterbury dancing in Aylesford church would have seemed unbelievable, as it may seem to you too.

Actually, both events really happened. The Archbishop honoured us by visiting the church and leading a service for the Cursillo movement. I was unable to advertise this event in advance as is was specifically for people who had attended a Cursillo course. Two hundred and fifty people crowded into the church, and at the end of the service the Most Reverend Dr Rowan Williams joined a number of other clergy who danced in the nave to the closing song. Then, early next morning, I was on an aeroplane, on the way to visit my brother who lives in Slovakia, formerly part of Czechoslovakia, sipping coffee above Frankfurt.

Let us imagine our conversation continued for some more minutes, during which I informed the puzzled vicar that humans had been to the moon, that it was possible to destroy the whole of creation several times over with nuclear warheads, that it was common to create babies with the help of a test-tube, and that it was increasingly safe to have a heart transplant. How that vicar would have thought I was mad!

If humans are capable of so much, why do so many people find it hard to believe that God could reveal Himself in the form of a special and utterly unique human being? Such an "Incarnation" seems relatively straightforward in comparison with some of the bizarre things we as humans have done over the last two hundred years. As the Creator of the world, it seems only natural that God should want to show us the sort of God He is. Christians believe He did this uniquely in the person of Jesus Christ.

When we see Jesus, we see the very nature of God. Christmas, therefore, is our reminder that God has spoken to us uniquely about the sort of God He is. As the gospel of John puts it: "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth" (John 1 verse 14)

My prayer is that you will discover the true meaning of Christmas in the coming few weeks - that God has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Through this knowledge, may you discover for yourself God's peace and joy. A very joyful and blessed Christmas to you.