Throughout Advent and Christmas we will be posting prayers from around the Synod, Ministers and Support Team, reflecting on the season and world events.
What kind of Christmas do you look forward to?
Bing Crosby was dreaming of a white Christmas – but statistically that’s very unlikely in most parts of Wales. Of course, snow looks beautiful, and each snowflake is supposed to be unique, a reminder of the wonders of God’s creation and the variety we see reflected in people, each made in God’s image and likeness.
Or how about a red one? It’s bright and cheery, the colour of the jolly bearded individual of well-known beverage adverts and thousands of grottoes – but also a reminder of the financial difficulties waiting for many as the bills hit the mats in January.
Green is a good Christmas colour – with fir trees and garlands of holly and ivy – but also the reminder that we need to treat the earth gently because God made it and loves it and it is showing signs of suffering from misuse.
And for many people around the world Christmas will be blue – for people mourning the loss of loved ones, of opportunities, of hopes and dreams. And yet blue is also the colour of the sky where the star shone to proclaim the birth of the one who would bring light to the world.
So this Christmas, I wish you a Rainbow Christmas, where all the colours unite and transform into a message of God’s glory and hope for the world.
Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for Christmas in all its wonderful variety, a present perfectly wrapped up for each of us, speaking of beauty and hope, of challenge and choice, of the wealth of human experience and the potential for us to draw ever closer to you.
May our Christmas present to you be all the ways we find to share you with others – through kindness, gentleness and thoughtfulness and as you gave yourself for us, may we find ways to give of ourselves to help others. Amen.
Revd Stella Hayton
Pembrokeshire Regional Minister