John Wesley once preached on the theme from Proverbs “She is not afraid of snow”.  This would have been an appropriate text for today- he chose his theme after he had met a lady who hadn’t come to church because of a Sunday snowfall.

Our religious experience often brings challenges and surprises.  Think of Jesus, the expected Messiah.  He was not born to and cosseted by a rich family- rather, He came to humble parents- Mary, who listened to an angel, and needed to seek reassurance from her cousin, and Joseph, who also listened to the angel’s message in his dream.  I think Joseph must have been a good father to the growing boy.

Those with a poor family and no father often find life hard, but not Peggy.  Mr. Lewis, her step-father, adopted her legally (she was the daughter of a previous marriage).  Her half-brother, Dick, realized that she appreciated her Dad more than he did.  She was the “chosen” daughter.  And in similar fashion, we are the “chosen” children of God.

When a father is absent, the son may wish he would step out of the picture still hanging on the wall of the living room.  God did this for us 2000 years ago.  He had talked to leaders such as Moses, but now He had come out of the picture, not just for the elite leadership, but for everyone.  As a carpenter, He was “at home” with manual workers, coming to surprise ordinary people, and to convince them that they were important.  This didn’t mean that God had changed.  It just meant that the coming of Jesus changed perceptions, and built new relationships.

Our ministry is to build relationships with our community, and not necessarily to organize “meetings”.

I think of the relationship with Joanne, the waitress in a busy restaurant.  It was one of those days- rushed off her feet, and a bad headache.  A lady who had taken tea came back into the shop because she had forgotten to leave a tip.  “God Bless You!” said Joanne.  These words opened the floodgates.  “So you are a Christian” asked the customer.  “Yes”, she said, “but just now life is very hard.  My husband is sick and in hospital, and I have no-one to help.”  The lady promised to pray for her.  And suddenly, Joanne’s headache was gone.  She was surprised by Grace.

We, also, may be having a bad day or a bad week, depressed by the state of our world, with its wars and rumours of war, and its deaths from AIDs, hunger and earthquakes.  But are we listening for directions?  Are we prepared to be surprised by Grace?  It is still God’s world.  And this season reminds us that He has stepped out of the picture.  He has become real in you and me.  Because apart from us, God has no body, no hands, no feet, no voice and no heart in our world.

But there is much good in the world.  Let us expect it!  The light shines on in the dark, and the darkness has never quenched it.  Nor will it ever do so.

AMEN.