Message

Reflection on the Reading: 

[With thanks to Vine at Home]

As one year ends and another begins, we stand in that sacred in-between space, looking back on all that has been, and ahead to what may come. And it is not all ‘peace on earth and goodwill to all’, either…Christmas often brings to mind peaceful images: a sleeping baby, candlelight, joy and celebration. But Matthew’s Gospel gives us a much harder truth to sit with, especially today.  

Just after Jesus is born, violence erupts. Herod, fearing the rumour of a rival king, responds with cruelty. Mary and Joseph are forced to flee, carrying their newborn child across borders as refugees. Grief descends on Bethlehem as innocent lives are lost. And even after Herod dies, fear and uncertainty remain. The holy family doesn’t return to Bethlehem—they settle in Nazareth, quietly, cautiously, far from the centre of power.  

This is part of the Christmas story too. It reminds us that God’s presence does not erase suffering but enters into it. Emmanuel, God with us, is not born into safety and certainty, but into risk, upheaval, and fear. And this is good news for a world that still knows too much pain. For Christians on the journey of discipleship, this passage calls us to follow the God who sides with the vulnerable, the displaced, the grieving. We are invited to ask:

- Where are people fleeing today, and how are we responding?

- Who is mourning, and are we willing to listen and stand with them?

- What kind of world are we building: not just with our words, but with our choices?

As one year ends and another begins, this story grounds us in reality: the work of love is often uncomfortable. It may lead us down unexpected roads. It may ask us to let go of control, to listen to dreams and be brave.

O God, who is always on the side of those who are broken and suffering:

where there is grief and despair, where there is anger and violence, where there is need and poverty,  where there is corruption and abuse, where there is hatred and suspicion, where there is greed and addiction...Hear our cry…

Wherever the powerful, the wealthy, the most resourced and most connected exploit, betray or ignore those who suffer; and wherever the least, the most vulnerable, the poorest and weakest, the most neglected and ignored, lift up their cry to you; and whenever we join our voices with these suffering ones to pray for healing, justice, restoration and peace,

Great God of mercy and compassion, Hear our cry… Amen.

The  Lord’s Prayer 

Hymn: Away in manger  

Here are two different versions for you to sing along to or maybe just listen to and enjoy.  One, the American tune with a children’s Nativity choir. The other, the more familiar UK tune sung by a very polished sextet: The Gesualdo Six at Ely Cathedral