I finished last year’s blogs on Christmas Eve with a poem about God’s deep love for us (https://www.banburystmary.org.uk/blog/69917 in case you missed it in the Christmas rush!).  And I want to start the new year with a comforting poem written in the early 20^th century by Minnie Haskins, a missionary and later an academic.  The first stanza was made famous by the Christmas broadcast of King George VI in 1939, although I suspect that few are familiar with the rest of the poem.

‘God Knows' by Minnie Louise Haskins (1875 – 1957)

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.

So heart be still: 

What need our little life 

Our human life to know, 

If God hath comprehension? 

In all the dizzy strife 

Of things both high and low, 

God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will 

Is best. The stretch of years 

Which wind ahead, so dim 

To our imperfect vision, 

Are clear to God. Our fears 

Are premature; In Him, 

All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until 

God moves to lift the veil 

From our impatient eyes, 

When, as the sweeter features 

Of Life’s stern face we hail, 

Fair beyond all surmise 

God’s thought around His creatures 

Our mind shall fill.

Normally when we start a new year, we are filled with positivity and good intentions to make changes in our lives for the better.  The new year is a gateway between the past and the future.  Although our new year’s resolutions are often connected with counteracting some of the excesses of the Christmas season, it is really encouraging that we recognise some of our weaknesses, and make a concerted effort to bring about a beneficial change in our lives.

2021 seems different.  The impact of the pandemic throughout last year has already helped us to re-set our values.  We have truly recognised the importance of friends and family, especially if we haven’t seen them for many months.  We know the importance of hugs, of being able to stand close by each other, of shaking hands, of touch, precisely because we can’t!  We have learnt to look out for one another.  We have appreciated the precarious beauty of nature and the pressing need to preserve our world.  As we are faced with challenging headlines about increasing numbers of people falling ill with Coronavirus, and the severe consequences for those who need intensive care, we realise that the whole world needs access to speedy vaccinations, not just the wealthy who can afford good healthcare. 

Just as I would like to put my hand physically into the hand of others who can support me, so I will put my hand spiritually into the hand of God who will lead me through the darkness into the breaking dawn.

Sarah Bourne, Chaplain for the Arts – 6^th January 2021      sarahbourne@banburystmary.org.uk