We're done! Other than the odd meeting and email to answer, the CYO office doors have closed until the beginning of January. We're looking forward to not having to de-ice the car and battle the school-run traffic to get to assemblies in the morning, and while it's a treat to share Jesus with young people every day we're looking forward to focusing on Jesus ourselves and enjoying all that Christmas brings.
I can't help thinking though, of all those who struggle to 'celebrate' Christmas. Some of the students we see through mentoring, or learn about through meetings with staff, simply won't have much to celebrate this Christmas; bereavement, family illnesses, divorce or troubles at home affect a significant number of young people in our area (significant is more than zero!).
So, how do we share the joy of Christmas, the treat of Jesus' birth, to those who are in those situations? Honestly, I don't know. Sharing, at times, isn't the most helpful of things (how would we relate to someone telling us about joy and celebration when we're in the pits?).
I guess the solution is to start by thanking God with what we have. To celebrate our health, to rejoice in family & church times, to bathe in the knowledge of the Holy Spirit being in us and with us every day; and to enjoy the crescendo of Advent that leads us to the very launchpad on which we base our lives. From there, we can ask Him to provide us with the right way to communicate the Christmas message to those who so desperately need to hear it; and of course, we can pray that these young people will find precious ways to celebrate over December.
God, we thank you for the many riches in our lives. As we approach Christmas, we thank you for the treat of breaks! We thank you for the privilege of central heating and being able to disengage from the speed of everyday life. Please help us to make this year a very precious time between us, so we can experience the joy of Christmas in an entirely new way. And, Holy Spirit, as you fill us and continue to enrich our lives, we pray you will perform miracles in the lives of those who are not looking forward to Christmas for whatever reasons this year. We pray that the miracles will create joy, celebration and elation at what this time of year brings. And, Father God, we pray that those who experience these miracles will identify You as the provider of them! Amen...and amen again!
Thank you all for your support this Term. May you have a blessed time over the Christmas period, a wonderful celebration over New Year...and we look forward to sharing more of what CYO will get up to in 2018!