As I remarked in my talk at "Carols by Candlelight", 2011 has been quite a year, one of those years when history seems to have got almost out of control. We look back on a year of national disasters, the upheavals in the Middle East and elsewhere, the seemingly intractable financial crisis in the eurozone with its potential for so much damage, and as we look into 2012 the question must be, "Is it going to be any better?
In the short term, the answer is probably "No". Looking farther ahead, we can say, "It depends". Depends on what, though? Naturally, the branch of the "Occupy" movement which has claimed most of our attention is the one which, as I write, is still encamped on the steps of St Paul’s. We may forget that it is part of a movement which has sprung up in many places, not least, of course, in New York. It is easy to write off such movements as impossibly idealistic; however, in a recent visit to the UK, Jim Wallis, founder of Soujourners, a US network of progressive Christians working for justice and peace, said, "We are not going to get to solutions to the economic crisis without dealing with the underlying moral failure." It is when we start talking and thinking about ethics and morality that the Church has its distinctive contribution to make, as we seek both to live and to proclaim the Gospel values of love, compassion and justice. On the threshold of 2012, as we place our hands in the hand of God to guide us into the New Year, may we also pray for courage to be truly prophetic, that the world may see, believe and follow.
With love and best wishes from all at the Vicarage for a truly blessed New Year.
Yours in Christ's service
Philip