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Dear Friends,
Here we are in 2010, the beginning of a new decade
(or is that 2011?) - can it really be ten years already since we celebrated the
new millennium? The old cliché is certainly true, time really does seem to pass
more quickly the older we get!
Inevitably at this time of year our thoughts turn
to questions of what the New Year ahead may contain. Will that certain
something you have been hoping and working for come to fruition and materialise
or perhaps it will be that other thing in the back of your mind that you have
been dreading? Who can tell? All we can
do is to ask God’s help in making our plans, do our best to help him to make
them happen and leave the final say to God.
The Church calendar reminds us that no doubt Mary
and Joseph were doing similar things after the birth of Jesus. On the 1st
January we celebrate the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus and on the 6th
the Epiphany or visit of the Wise Men. Both these events would have given Mary
and Joseph plenty to ponder on. The words of the prophets Anna and Simeon and
those of the Magi were wonderful encouragements from God to help Jesus’ parents
to face an uncertain future with hope and courageous expectation. The gifts the
Magi brought for a king, a priest and a sacrifice would also certainly give
them feelings of wonder mixed with trepidation.
The Gospel according to Matthew tells us that Jesus
spent at least some of his early life as what we would term today an
‘asylum-seeker’ in Egypt, the place his parents had been told in a dream to
take him to escape from Herod’s murderous plans. Certainly, the time of Jesus’
birth and childhood were periods of Mary and Joseph’s lives that were a real
roller coaster of highs and lows. Perhaps that is true for all parents to a
greater or lesser degree according to what part of the world they live in and
what their individual circumstances are.
In baptism services I often introduce the prayers
for the child’s parents by giving my opinion that to be a good parent is
probably one of the most difficult tasks there is and that I personally think
it is getting harder with each successive year. If you think back to the kind
of temptations that you faced as a child and compare them with the kind of temptations
your children now face in the modern society we have created then you will see
what I mean. Many of the temptations are potentially much more serious, even
life threatening.
Modern parents, like all good parents take on the
task of steering their children through a maze of good and bad trying to help
them to make good choices and avoid the worst pitfalls. The societal maze in
this part of the world seems ever more fraught with hazards which make a
parent’s job ever more difficult. As we enter this New Year, which in popular
belief is often depicted as a new born baby, perhaps we should make support for
parents a priority in our prayer lives.
Jesus was blessed with good parents. Those of us
who were similarly blessed (and those who were not) know all too well how great
a difference it can make to a youngster. Let 2010 be a year when we show our
recognition of the value of good parenting in our society and pray for parents
who are struggling with the task that God would give them what they need to face
the future with hope.
May God bless all parents and us as we pray for
them,
Your friend and vicar,
Bob