Dear all

A long time ago they were a powerful force for good.

They tried to do things the “right way”.

Leaders had come and gone, but one had remained.

There had been great times in the past, heroic figures who stood tall in battle. And there was certainly potential within the ranks now, but not real hope for the future.

The people began to moan, but they did not understand.

Then a drought that would last for years.

Cynicism would rain down upon them from other tribes and from within as the people grew weary.

And then he came…

A diminutive figure from afar.

He had a presence about him that immediately won people over from all walks of life.

Hope once again began to bubble!

Now the above is obviously about Arsenal:

• A powerful force: The Invincibles.
• A great leader: Arsene Wenger.
• Heroic figures: Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Ray Parlour, etc..
• Potential within the ranks: Theo Walcott, etc..
• Other tribes: The press and other clubs.
• The diminutive figure: Mesut Ozil (a bargain at a mere £42.5!).

 oooOooo

But it could be about the Christmas story as well…

Six thousand years ago Israel was a great nation that often struggled internally and with the nations around them. Their belief in a God of love often waned, but they kept looking out for The One they believed God would send to vanquish their enemies. They were looking for a military leader.

Instead the Christian story that we share at Christmas is that God sent his son, Jesus, to the world through a teenage girl called Mary. She probably gave birth to him in a stinking cave; that was commonly used as a stable at this time, in a backwater village of a couple of hundred people called Bethlehem. And the first to hear the Good News? The shepherds; whose line of work wasn’t respected by their peers.

This story lacks the glamour and gloss that we have maybe layered it with over the centuries, but it is certainly drenched with hope and expectation. I also believe it is a whopping reminder that God is interested in all of us and loves us.

If you want to remember the story please feel to drop in at the graveyard in Bessels Green Baptist Church (just off the A21 near Sevenoaks) and check out the Lego Nativity Adventure to which you can add your own figure!

Yours because of Jesus – Neil.