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Viewpoint from Rev Clive Howard 17/01/2025
 Rev Clive Howard
Lead Chaplain, James Paget University Hospital
As I write it is just before Christmas. This morning I thought, on good advice from the BBC weather man, I would have a haircut – I’m still waiting for the mild weather that was promised! At the barbers one of the other chaps was telling the barber how he didn’t like Christmas. New Year’s Day was his favourite day of the holiday because Christmas was all over! I thought that was sad
 There can be a lot of pressure around Christmas with the getting ready for the big day! Putting up decorations at home and preparing for relatives visits. I always like to see how Christmas is portrayed in the supermarket adds. M & S treated us to an advert which claimed that “Christmas starts here”. This claim was demonstrated by a song “I believe in miracles”, and depicted by people floating around in M & S products?! John Lewis took us on a Narnia inspired journey to find the perfect gift. Sainsbury’s had a Big Friendly Giant theme, Asda a Gnome experience, and Tesco’s featured an excessive amount of gingerbread! All focusing on the activity of buying and getting ready for the perfect Christmas! In the hospital there are the winter pressures that come with the season too. Today the hospital has raised the alert due to the busyness of admissions – some staff will be asked to sacrifice their holiday to meet the needs of those coming in! Like the chap I mentioned in the barbers, for some this is all too much
While not a traditional Christmas Bible reading 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 helps us to reset our perspective in this busy time of year. St Paul writes, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. These verses come from a chapter where Paul is encouraging us to look to the treasures that God gives us. A gem to note from this passage is the idea that there is a lot around us that that is simply passing away and will have no consequence eternally. The ultimate promise of the baby Jesus is a restored relationship we can have with God our Father leading to eternal life. While this is not seen yet, it is far more important and durable when all else has faded away
Wishing you a happy New Year
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