THE decorations are packed away for another year and Christmas is just a memory as we try to return to some sort of routine among all the restrictions.
It is a fallow time, a time of waiting: waiting for Covid to release its grip and wondering what the post-Brexit world will be like.
Sunday sees the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus, which marked a turning point in his life at about the age of 30.
Before this there is little in the Gospel accounts about Jesus’ life.
We believe that during these hidden years, he led a normal life, growing up under the guidance of Mary and Joseph and later following Joseph’s trade as a carpenter.
After his Baptism, Jesus’ life changed radically. Driven by the Holy Spirit into the desert, he reflected on the course his life would take and then commenced his ministry of teaching and healing culminating in his death on the cross and his resurrection all in the space of about three years.
But I wonder why the delay until 30?
Perhaps the time was not right before.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, we read “There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven.” In the current situation, we need to have patience and await the right time to recommence our normal lives.
That does not mean we should do nothing. Like Jesus in the wilderness we can reflect on the course of our lives and our relationship with others.
Sue Cooper is from Corpus Christi Church, Wokingham, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
