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Dear Friends,

As we journey through Advent towards another Christmas most of us will be very familiar with the message of hymns and Bible readings of the season. While there is comfort in that familiarity, we mustn’t forget that for those involved in the historical events of the birth of Jesus, much was unexpected and surprising and even alarming and shocking. His mother Mary was greatly troubled by the out-of-the-blue visit of the angel Gabriel, and her fiancé Joseph was initially dismayed by the unforeseen news of her pregnancy. And as for the shepherds on night-watch near Bethlehem – well they were terrified when the glory of the Lord shone around them in an angelic blaze. Although God’s people had long-expected the arrival of the Messiah, they hoped for a warrior appearing in triumphant splendour to oust the Roman occupation, not a vulnerable infant in a manger…

When the unexpected happens to you and me, it can make us feel discombobulated!  Personally, John and I anticipated that the removal from Waltham to Melton Rectory would have the inevitable disorder and disorientation that come with any move of home and working base. But my wrist fracture sustained from a fall with a large packing case was unexpected and has led to the unsought difficulties that accompany a painful accident requiring surgery.  And I’m well aware that many many people are facing far more serious and disruptive turn of events…

So, how can we respond positively to circumstances for which we feel unprepared and that leave us thrown off balance (sometimes literally!), vulnerable, debilitated or incapacitated? Perhaps the Christmas story challenges us with the reminder that God is a God of surprises and, like the people caught up in the events of the very first Christmas, divine surprises often start off in ways that can feel rather startling or even scary. Yet out of the challenge of the unexpected, God can bring new blessings that would have remained undiscovered had we stayed in the safety of our comfort zone. For Jesus comes as Emmanuel – ‘God with us’ – in all the changing scenes of life.

May you and I know the blessing of Christ’s presence with us now and in all that lies ahead.