An Appreciation

As I write dawn is breaking. It is an icy cold morning and from my window I see an almost full moon shining on the snow lying all around. I was woken at 6.30 by a lorry driver announcing the imminent delivery of  the heating oil we ordered some weeks ago. He opened his cab door and the light and warmth spilled out onto the frozen pavement loudly accompanied by the sound of a brass band playing "Joy to the World". Ten minutes later our oil tank was replenished with sufficient oil for most of the remaining winter months and two grateful householders put the coffee on.

On a number of occasions recently it has occurred to me how privileged we are today compared even to 65 years ago (the extent of my memory). I can get out from under my warm duvet to a warm house in the morning and go warm to bed. I can step into a hot shower and start my day refreshed and comfortable. Recently there has been a BBC TV series called "Edwardian Farm" in which 3 people live and work in the conditions that pertained at the turn of the 20th century. In rural Wales in the 1950's many things had hardly moved on. Horsepower had been replaced by the ubiquitous grey Fergie tractor but life in the farmhouse continued very much as it had been 40 years earlier. Running water and mains electricity were just beginning to appear depending on how close to the main villages and urban area you lived. But that's a subject for another place and time. This is simply an appreciation of today.

I am also conscious of how privileged I am in relation to others around about me and this year more than any other in my life I have a growing awareness of the needs of others and the need to be of practical help and use. With God's help I pray that this will become a greater part of my life as I have more time in these coming months and years.

I am grateful that this year I did not have to travel over the past two weeks. I am grateful for family and warmth and a home and all of the mod cons that I take for granted so easily. I am grateful for the ready availability of food and warm clothing. I am grateful for friends and books and the ability to see and the blessing of hearing and music. And who am I grateful to? I'm grateful to the God who gave me life and who has provided for me every day of my life. I am grateful to Him for His coming into this world 2,000 years ago and for making it possible to find peace and redemption through His love. For all your blessings I give You thanks and for the greatest gift of all - your Son, my Saviour, Jesus Christ I praise and worship you with a grateful heart.

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

Merry Christmas to anyone who happens to read this blog. May you know and enjoy the peace of the Prince of Peace and the fountain of all true joy.

And with that the sun rises in a brilliantly blue cloudless sky.