Janet’s letter to the Community
Janet's January Letter to the Community
So, we stand at the beginning of another new year. Looking back over 2020 it is very obvious that this time last year we had absolutely no idea how the year would unfold. We were completely oblivious as to what we would be facing. Even as the first reports of the virus were filtering through it seemed unlikely that it would affect us to any major extent. How wrong we were! 2020 was a year like no other. Life has changed dramatically for all of us.
There is no denying that it has been a hard road. The loss of social contact, of holidays and special family events, of education and of employment has been painful for many. The loss of our usual pattern of worship has been particularly challenging for some of us. Even more significantly, some have lost friends and family members – a huge and irreparable loss, magnified by grieving in isolation.
And the questions remain: “will there be greater restrictions before conditions improve?” “when will I and my loved ones get the vaccine?” “will those I care about remain safe?” It is hard to live with uncertainty but we have no choice and so we stagger on, not knowing what the future will bring and how long it will be before life returns to some kind of normality and a sense of security.
But beneath it all, we also know that there is hope. Hard as it has been, and as it continues to be, we are still here. We are holding on. For most of us, 2021 is not a year to enter with triumphant rejoicing. Rather, we cling to a quiet hope. Yes, we hope for a vaccine that will produce good immunity to the virus. But we also hope in the tenacity of the human spirit to overcome the challenges we face – and we hope in the unchangeable love of God to strengthen and console us. So, as St Paul wrote to the Galatians, “let us not grow weary in doing what is right” (Galatians 6.9). Let us persevere. Let us keep on keeping on, following the guidance, doing what we can to preserve our own safety and the safety of our loved ones. And believing that there will be an end. We will get through. And underneath are God’s everlasting arms.
Janet