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And I said to the man who stood at the
gate of t he year:

These now famous words will have been quoted many
times, especially at this time of the year.
Although we may not know the remainder of the
poem these words are familiar.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the
year:
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the
night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone
East.

This poem by Minnie Louise Haskins was published in 1912 in a
book titled - ‘The Dessert’. It was the Queen Mother who brought it
to the attention of King George V who used it in his Christmas
address in December 1939, soon after the start of the Second
World War. Now we find, more than 80 years later, we are still
fighting battles around the world. Innocent people are being killed
and injured by waring nations, each one convinced that they have
their ‘God’ on their side.

Why is it so much easier to throw missiles indiscriminately across
borders with no regard to who is affected. Sitting down round a
table would be so much more simple.

Looking back over our own lives during 2023 we see that it has not
been without controversy. The road has been uneven and mired by
differing opinions and some ill-feeling. We are about to open the
gate to 2024; we can make of it what we want.

We can do what we state we wish to do in our Mission and Ministry
and reach out to our neighbours and show that we are a vibrant and
God-given Church ready to move through that gate.
Jim

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