The Voice to Parliament is very much front and centre in the media. What is it?
What are the details? And more. Do we need another voice when there are already so many voices, individuals, and lobby groups? Even indigenous leaders are divided on the issue.
Every one of us already has a voice to parliament through access to our local elected member of parliament.
Christmas is done for another year, life returning to normal, kids back to school and holidays finished.
For some, a wonderful time, family friends and holidays. For others, struggle and pain, financially, ill health and bereavement, broken relationships and loneliness.
In all the above we so often neglect the focus of Christmas, The Birth of Jesus. In Jesus, God stepped into our fallen broken world, into our joys and happiness, into our sorrow and pain.
To us a child is born, totally human in every respect.
To us a Son is given, Jesus never stopped being the Christ.
Jesus purpose in coming was to restore our broken relationship with God.
To bring meaning and purpose into our rebellious sinful lives.
To rescue us from eternal damnation through His perfect life, and through His death, burial and return to life after three days.
Jesus calls us to come to Him just as we are, brokenness, baggage and all.
It does not matter who we are or what we have done. Jesus is in the business of changing lives, as we come to Him, His promise is to be ‘with you always.’ No longer victim but victor.
A life journey, we will fall and fail, but as with His disciples, He will give us a hand up. Failure is not final, just a reset to start again.
Even greater than a voice to an earthly parliament, Christ followers have a voice to Heaven.
As the writer to the Hebrews tells us (Chapter 4, Verse 16): ‘Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’
Pause and reflect, do the research, test the evidence, ask the hard questions.
Put Christ back into Christmas and everyday life.
Bruce Wilding, Wondai Baptist Church
