A New Year to me is like sitting on Tiona beach and looking east.
An entire ocean of possibilities, including sunny days and a few storms with howling winds and giant waves, stretch out across the seemingly endless sea. If we let ourselves, we could become so afraid of the potential dangers, so safety conscious, we would miss the adventure.
I am extremely hesitant as I begin to write this, because I know the likelihood of what will follow as a result. It always does. No matter how I preface it, regardless of how it is phrased, inevitably the responses come. “Oh come on, of course you can!” “Don’t be like that!” “We don’t care, just give it a try!” And… it only seems exacerbated at this time of year.
We have now entered the Christian season of Advent that is celebrated in Christian communities right throughout the world. The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming”. It is a season observed in many Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
The Advent season is a good time to reflect on the Biblical roots of taking non-violent direct action for justice. Rachie and Mike of Great Britain’s Christian Climate Action will share the Biblical roots from the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. People of faith made courageous decisions in the past. They risked something new. Now it’s our turn to risk something new!
Have you seen the new mini series “All the Light We Cannot See”? It is based on a book by American author Anthony Doerr. The novel is set during WW11. It focusses on Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl who lives in her uncle's house in Saint-Malo after Paris is invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940, and Werner Pfennig, a clever German boy who is accepted into a German military school because of his skills in radio technology.