A Message for 2025

“The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.”

As I look out of my office window, I can see bare trees, which are on the footpath adjacent to my garden. I can see the view beyond the trees, of houses in my neighbourhood.

Normally the trees are full of beautiful leaves making my garden an enclosed space. However, in winter the bare trees open a view into the streets beyond, which reminds me I am part of a community. In the houses around me are people getting on with life, just as we do, celebrating the joys and facing the challenges.

God promises to be with us, not just at Christmas but in 2025. We are invited to see beyond our own limitations and discover God working through other people and places in our community. We are invited to look again at our familiar surroundings and find God living amongst us.

As we look, we can be thankful for the people who help us and comfort us when life is tough. We can be thankful for people who encourage us and cheer us on to fulfil our potential. We can be thankful for people whose faith inspires us to explore more about God. We can be thankful for places of beauty where we feel close to God.

In The Message translation of John’s gospel, it says: “The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.”

God moved into the neighbourhood! Imagine what a transformation it could make to our home, street, community and world. We can in hope, keep working at being the change God longs to see.

In the song “Will you come and follow me?” by John Bell and Graham Maule there is the line:

Will you use the faith you’ve found
To reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?

I pray that in 2025 God will bless us with faith and courage to reshape things for the good of all. Together  at High Street we can be a beacon of hope for our community.

Deacon Sarah Wickett