I started re-reading the texts on our Christmas cards the other day and found that the format which was once common "A Merry Christmas and a happy and Prosperous New Year" was entirely missing. It seems that no-one is bold enough to assert that a prosperous year might be ahead. This is hardly surprising following a year in which banks have collapsed, needing to be propped up by the government, media and and statistics indicate recession and government borrowing is no longer measured in billions, but instead the fiscal stimulus package is expected to reach one trillion pounds.
There are texts in the Bible which would lead us to believe that we are approaching the end of the age. Revelation chapter 18 for instance speaks of a cataclysmic collapse in world trading and massive loss of wealth. However what should our outlook be and where should our focus be? In John's third epistle, written to a man named Gaius he prays "Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers." The key, it seems, is firstly prosperity of soul, then our material needs will be met.

Although Christmas is about birth -the birth of the Saviour - and the new year about new beginnings, we are always faced with the reality that our time here is limited. I have been reminded of this through my mother's recent death and also attending the funeral of an 18 year old who sadly passed away on Christmas day. I found myself clinging to the promise "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." (Titus 1v3). I believe that the only way for true prosperity of soul is to know Jesus Christ, the resurrected Lord, as Saviour. We cannot promise that life will be without pain or difficulty. But we can promise that God will take care of, and prosper, those who trust in Him.

By Jeremy Childs.  Dewsbury Gospel Church. 

On behalf of the Churches Together in Dewsbury