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Viewpoint from Rev Clive Howard 19/01/2024
 Rev Clive Howard
Lead Chaplain
James Paget University Hospital
I love the Christmas period, the preparations through December, and then all the events and meeting up with the family for Christmas and New Year. Part of this preparation for most people is shopping for presents. Online shopping has become the norm and those brown Amazon parcels have become a familiar part of the Christmas scene
I remember some years ago, at the beginning of the online shopping revolution, seeing a slogan on a van just before Christmas. It read, “A promise is nothing until it’s delivered!” I have always thought this not just to be a good strapline for a delivery company but also a profound statement. We are used to people making all sorts of promises which sound good. We hear them in politics, in the work place, and in relationships – people promise great things. But do we think when we make these promises about delivering them, following them through?
 As we think about a new year the events of Christmas remind us of God’s big promise to humanity. The climax in a traditional carol service is the reading from St John’s gospel. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world… to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. This reading crystallises the Christian hope of the Bible story. It’s about a promise of one who would save the world from, wrongdoing, selfishness, corruption, relationship breakdown, and the failure of people to respect and love each other. We don’t need to look far for evidence of this around us and on the news
This promise of God came in Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, who demonstrated a different way of living as a pattern for all who would accept him and follow his example. So the promise was delivered at Christmas and is for all – no exceptions!
While writing this I took in a delivery parcel. The delivery has now been fulfilled but I’ve no idea what’s in the parcel. The promise of God has also been delivered, have you opened it? Maybe for some of you this is the year to find someone, perhaps a friend or a church, who can help you find out what this promise of God means for you
Every Blessing for the New Year
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