Please look after this Bear
...Thank You.
Dave Gobbett | 15:23, 17 Nov 2024
So reads that most famous postage label hung from the duffle coat of one Paddington Bear. Its nearly Christmas, and so right on cue Paddington in Peru has hit the cinemas. I imagine you may well have enjoyed it as much as my family have done.
It's a story that reminds us of the beauty of welcoming an outsider
The story of Paddington, the children's- book-turned-movie-star, refugee Peruvian bear, who finds a home in the Brown family is both endearing and enduring. Who hasn't felt the pull of its warmth and humour and humanity, as the young Paddington enters a world not his own and brings chaos and then joy to everyone he meets? It's a story that reminds us of the beauty of welcoming an outsider, of letting down the drawbridge, and experiencing an arrival that cannot fail but to transform us all.
Paddington's story feels remarkably twenty-first century.
Sadly, our country doesn't have the best track record of welcoming outsiders and letting down the drawbridge. With more and more people having to leave their home countries - for a whole variety of reasons - and displaced people looking to lay down roots elsewhere, the refugee crisis is still as heart-wrenching as ever. Paddington's story feels remarkably twenty-first century.
...we remember ...the God who created our world came into it
As well as first century. At Christmas we remember that the God who created our world came into it. As Jesus Christ, he willingly left his home of heaven to experience life on earth as a refugee. Born in poverty, he drew alongside the outcasts, the broken, and the lost, and completely transformed all who welcomed him. Believe it or not, he's still doing the same today. In the words of the famous carol: 'Where meek souls will receive him still the dear Christ enters in.'
Intrigued? We'd love to tell you more at one of our many carol services at Highfields Church. We can assure you of the warmest welcome possible.
Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2025!
Dave Gobbett Lead Pastor Highfields Church |
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