Faith in an unknown future – Matthew 6: 31-34

^“Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?”  For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Christmas, a time of hope for all, a tiny baby born into this world to bring Love and Peace, we all know the Christmas story but do we really realise the advantage we have of knowing Jesus personally in our hearts?

Maybe we should look at the Nativity story with new eyes.  Usually we look at it with all the information we have inherited.  All we know about Jesus’ life and death and resurrection, and we tend to interpret it through nearly two thousand years of theology and church life.

Mary and Joseph, of course, had none of that, they just knew their baby was special in some way.  The visits of the shepherds and wise men pointed to that, but even so it still wasn’t very clear.  The vision they’d had told them to name him Jesus, which meant ‘Saviour’, but it was a common name, even being told that he would save people from their sins wasn’t very explicit, seen from their perspective.

It was, however, made much harder by other events.  Mary and Joseph weren’t in control of their lives, they had been compelled to go to Bethlehem for a census, on Roman orders, then King Herod’s soldiers got in the way and they were forced to run for safety to Egypt as refugees.

Looking at later events, I’m sure it was a blessing that they didn’t know in detail what life held for them all, especially about their baby’s call to preach and die.

There are times, I’m sure, when we all wish we knew more about the future, especially at the moment with the Covid virus and its variants playing havoc with our lives.  There are moments when we’d like to feel in better control of life, but we can’t, because life’s not like that.  Each day we walk into the unknown, just as Mary and Joseph did all those years ago, and, like them, we too find strength for that one day….and the next, and so it goes on each day.

However, we do have one advantage that Mary and Joseph didn’t!   We know who Jesus is, and what he’s done, and we have the confidence of walking into each day with him assured of his presence by our side every step of the way.

As this year draws to a close and a new one begins, I pray that you will find the hope, love and peace that Jesus longs to bring you…. Open your heart…….. He is waiting……

Prayer:

Lord, Sometimes I wish you’d tell me more, prepare me, whisper in my ear a weather forecast of a sunnier day tomorrow.  Or maybe warn me of the storm to come so I could grab a spiritual umbrella and stay dry.

But then I realise I know all I need to know, and that’s the fact that you know all my needs, and I can be reassured that wet or dry, in calm or storm, you are in it with me, and that is enough.  Amen.

Mrs D. Penny Bonham