Last week my Christmas tree, and perhaps yours too, was collected for composting.
These trees will therefore be of some use, supporting growth somewhere in the year to come. Last year I had a rooted tree and put it out in the garden in the hope of keeping it alive so I could re-use it this year. However, the pot was too constricting and my care of it not sufficient to keep it alive. By June it was well and truly dead. Perhaps if I’d taken it out of the pot, spread the roots out wide, planted it in the garden properly and kept it well watered it could have been growing all year, providing a place for wildlife to enjoy.
So much for the Christmas tree, but what of the good news of Christmas itself? It will suffer the same fate as so many trees, unless we make it our own. It needs tending as an integral part of our lives so that peace and goodwill can become a reality in our world in spite of all the negativity we experience.
Having an intimate daily relationship with Christ sustains the daily challenge to love our neighbour as ourselves, for this is at the heart of how peace and goodwill are transmitted and made real. It will not always be accepted, and we can grow disenchanted unless we allow the love and knowledge of God to grow within us, day by day. Then the good news will thrive and grow in us throughout the year.
Rhona Floate,
White Horse Team
