We were looking forward to moving house, but getting ready was something else! The boxes were all packed. We had some of them clearly marked, but as the day got nearer, things got bunged in. The lorry arrived, and our possessions were loaded. We got to the new house a few minutes ahead of the lorry. Then the unloading began! Piles of boxes in the wrong places, and furniture in the wrong rooms. Where was the bed linen? Where were the castors for the bed? Was the electricity on?

We arrived in chaos, in a new area, knowing no one. We arrived in someone else's neighbourhood, and someone left freshly baked bread on our doorstep; someone else brought us stew. We were welcomed, included, by the love of an anonymous person. Peterson's version of John's gospel tells us:

The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into our neighbourhood.
– (John 1:14 MSG)

Jesus has moved into our neighbourhood, into our humanity. He got a mixed welcome and he still does. It is strange to think that he has journeyed into our neighbourhood to welcome us!

Prayer: Father we thank you that through Christ Jesus you welcome us. Amen.

The Van Morrison concert was over, and it was time to return from Edinburgh to Aberdeen where I used to live. It was a clear, cold, dark, winter's night, very late, and not much traffic, as we drove along the motorway, heading north.

Then it happened! The whole northern skyline was set ablaze with the twisting tentacle-like fingers of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights – nature's greatest light show, filling the darkness with colour and vivid movement. I had always wanted to see the Northern Lights; I had wondered what they looked like. And there they were, filling the darkness, unmistakable, impossible to miss. I drove on, looking up occasionally.

Part of Eugene Peterson's modern translation of the first chapter of John's gospel speaks of Jesus saying,

Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
– (John 1:9 MSG)

Jesus longs to bring us into the unmistakable wonder of the light of the Father's love. Jesus, the light of the world, shines in the darkness of our world, challenging us and leading us to the light of hope and life. Perhaps we should look up occasionally.

Prayer: Father may we live in the light of your love, today and forever. Amen.

We had the tickets, we had the luggage, and we left in good time. I didn't want my friends to miss their flight from Belfast back to London. I parked in the Short Stay car park, and we joined the queues of people purposefully pushing their luggage. We studied the monitors for the departure time and gate. We checked another monitor and another, and then we checked the tickets! Wrong airport! My friends assumed that there was only one airport. We left the international airport, and arrived at the city airport in time to watch the plane leave without my friends. The flight information was there on the tickets, but we didn't even see it. We didn't notice that the tickets showed a different airport for each part of the journey. We had been too busy to check!

Peterson's translation of the New Testament tells of Christ Jesus,

He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn't even notice.
– (John 1:11 MSG)

The light of God's love has come into the world. God in Christ there for all to see, but some people didn't seem to notice. Why is it that we don't seem to notice him today? Perhaps like the case of the wrong airport we should take more notice of what – or who – is right in front of us!

Prayer: Our Father may we notice of Christ who is with us! Amen.

In the midst of some of our daily journeys we find ourselves reminded of the presence of God in Christ who leads us home.

We pitched camp late at night. At dawn we woke and set off to climb one of the snow-covered peaks above the Drumochter pass in Scotland. After an hour we met other walkers coming down saying the weather was getting worse up top. We pressed on. The rain of the valley gave way to snow higher up. The wind pushed it hard into our faces.

Having reached the summit it was time to turn back. But which way was back? The weather was worse; we couldn't see more than 5 metres ahead. My friend took out his map and compass and led me out of the lostness of the white out. The small magnetic compass needle and the skill of my friend gave me the comfort of knowing which way to head for home.

Christ shares our humanity, he has dwelt in our midst so that we might know a friend who will lead us out of our lostness to discover home with the Father.

Prayer: Father lead us home. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I travelled right across Belfast today to visit a sick baby. The old images of Belfast were back again. Burned out cars and trucks at the roadside. The remains of the makeshift barricades used the night before, now pushed aside as people went about their business. The mobs, asserting their rights at the expense of someone else, had gone, but the scars remain. I prayed for the small babe in the incubator and wondered what sort of world this child was about to come into? The Christ child was born into this same messy, unkind, violent world. He lived among us, dwelt in our midst, came into our neighbourhood. He stands with us in the mess of our personal lives, in the mess that is Belfast today as I write. He brings us hope. He is our hope.

Prayer: Father we thank you for Christ who stands with us. May His grace and truth inspire us with His hope! Amen.

We have instant custard, instant coffee, and instant tea! We live in a world where more and more companies market products to meet our demands for an instant response. Think of all those snack meals where all you do is add boiling water, stir, and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Hey, presto, instant lunch! This "instant" approach to life can create problems when we take it beyond fast food and apply it to relationships. We expect other people to fit with our way of thinking and acting. We can even expect spiritual growth and relationship with God to be instant! St. Paul tells us, "love is patient". We can see God's patience with us revealed in Christ's life, death and resurrection. Yet, still we want instant answers, instant growth. Our love grows impatient. Relationships take time, and they need patience. Faith and spiritual growth need time as we come to know our Father and the love and patience He has for us!

Prayer: Lord, thanks for revealing Your love and patience to us. Give us patience in all our relationships. Amen.

The weeping elm tree was felled. It had once been a beautiful tree with long branches and a leafy canopy that stretched right to the ground. Now it was condemned to be burned to stop the spread of dutch elm disease. I looked carefully at the pile of branches, for their shape had caught my attention. They were not long or straight or gently curved, but a twisted turning heap, locked together, curving back on themselves in huge once-living knots. It had just grown that way. It was natural for it to do so.

Sometimes the meanings of words become twisted, they just grow that way, but it is not always natural. Think for a moment of the word "Love". What thoughts does its meaning call to mind.? Think of how many meanings do we twist into it.

St. Paul reminds us that love is not "self-seeking", yet we have twisted love and it has become selfish. We see a word knotted up by our desire to possess. Ours is a desire to possess people, places and yet more possessions. We begin to become twisted when we love a person, a place or anything else simply for what we can get from it.

Jesus shows us a love that is not self-seeking, but based on a desire to give, and give and give. His desire to give to us cost him his life. We twist and destroy love when we think that it only means take; we must learn to give if we are to follow in the love of Christ. We must give if we are to begin to love as Christ loves us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus give us the love for others that you have for them. Amen.