Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Rev Alan Taylor
It was a still, silent night. The shepherd gazed into the embers of the fire, thinking how insignificant he felt in the whole scheme of things. He looked down from the hill to the little town below, only a few oil lamps in homes lit the darkness. How he wished he could be in his own bed, not on this hill keeping watch over the sheep while his fellow shepherds took their turn to sleep. He lay back to take in the vast sweep of the night sky with a myriad of stars. It did little to help his sense of insignificance.
Suddenly, it was daylight as if the sun rose in an instant. He screwed up his eyes to see into the brightness. Could he make out something that was human in form yet in the sky? Then more figures appeared until the sky filled with brilliant luminance. The air was filled with a beautiful harmony of voices. One by one the other shepherds woke up, dazzled and frightened by this stupendous sight and sound. A crystal clear voice with a comforting tone spoke, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a wonderful event that will fill you with great joy. The long awaited Messiah has been born in your town. You’ll find him wrapped in a blanket lying in a feeding trough.
And so dawned the first Christmas day. The light of heaven had shone, not in some splendid palace, but in the lives of shepherds, ordinary often undervalued workers. The light of heaven had come, not as some great warrior, but as a vulnerable baby born in a provincial Palestinian town.
That same light of heaven pervades our troubled world today. It shines through the lives of the followers of Jesus as they hold onto the hope of the Gospel.
I’m reminded of a children’s song of my childhood:
Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in our small corner, and I in mine.
With a nod to Wesleyan tradition: as disciples of Jesus engage with the means of grace: worship, prayer, Bible, fellowship and sacrament, the light of heaven shines out from their lives bringing a ray of hope into a world pining in darkness.
So, this Christmas each one of us can be the light of heaven shining in the darkness. It may be a cheery smile or a gentle word that sets off a chain reaction, or it may be a deeper calling to be the light of heaven by a vocational passion for the kingdom.
Shepherds first saw the light,
Heard resounding clear and long,
Far and near, the angel-song:
‘Christ the Redeemer is here’
Now, let the light of heaven shine from your face. The hour of grace is here.
The Saviour is born!
Peace and blessings for Christmas Day
Alan Taylor
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