Chaplain's Chat
With all the challenges which Covid 19 has created this year, I wonder if you feel that the Grinch is threatening to steal Christmas from you? My sisters and their families are not able to come over from Australia as we had planned, and I am sure that you will have similar stories of disappointments. In some ways we might feel that the Grinch has stolen much from us over the whole year! But in the midst of these challenges, disruptions, and uncertainties, there are some things that the Grinch cannot steal, even if we find ourselves in lockdown or facing Level 2-3 restrictions.
In uncertain times, we often look for hope and meaning. Even if we can’t have our usual festivities with family, or enjoy travel or other things we like to do over summer, we can look beyond all the trimmings to see what Christmas is really about and discover some certainties we can hold onto. In particular, there is the knowledge that God loves us and is always present with us. While our “presents” might not be exactly what we want this year, and we will certainly miss the “presence” of our loved ones who live overseas, we can be certain of God’s “presence” with us! One of the names for Jesus in the Bible is Emmanuel, which is the Hebrew for “God is with us.” The beautiful Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” would be good to sing and listen to this year in particular.
When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, as they were facing the threat of persecution, and he too was under threat of arrest, he made a powerful statement which is worth pondering: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8.38-39). The “nor anything else” includes Covid 19! While we might be separated from loved ones at this time, we are not separated from their love – or their faces and voices thanks to technology! – nor are we separated from God’s love.
So whatever you do or can’t do this Christmas, and whoever you spend it with or can’t spend it with, know that at the heart of Christmas, there is something we can hold onto with certainty – God’s love and presence with us. The Grinch cannot steal that from us!
Scripture Union New Zealand are basing their 2020 Christmas resources for churches and families on this idea, and I thought this was a good message for us all to hear. You could explore the SUNZ website for some creative ideas for activities you could do as a family or as a church, including making a beautiful Aotearoa Advent Circle!
