Sitting on a shelf in our house is an ornament so tiny you would not really notice it. It is a miniscule fragment of the Berlin Wall which was given to us by my in-laws after a visit to Berlin.
Looking at that tiny fragment reminds me that situations, no matter how hopeless they may seem to be, can be resolved and even the most stubborn of barriers can be broken down. We all make barriers; they might be invisible ones but they are there nonetheless. We fall out with friends or relatives, we make wrong assumptions about people, we fail to forgive and forget and the longer these barriers remain, the stronger they become. Perhaps the biggest barrier we make is between ourselves and God. The Bible tells us that Jesus, by his death on the cross broke this barrier down opening up the way for reconciliation and forgiveness. It is a lot to take in but at this time every year we remember the great love of God that was prepared to give everything to bring us back to him. We may never fully understand but we can respond to that love in thankfulness and by our love and support and acceptance of one another help to show the wideness of God’s love and grace.
Rev Janet Bacon