"In the hustle and bustle of life—our jobs, families, responsibilities—many of us have asked ourselves, "What is the point of all this?" It’s easy to get caught in the routine of modern life, where everything feels like a treadmill: you run, you work, you struggle, but you’re not really moving forward. The answer to that question, I believe, is hidden in the life and teachings of Christ. But here's the thing: understanding the Way of Christ isn’t just about what we do or believe—it’s about who we are becoming.
This isn’t about rigid rules or outdated traditions. It’s not about conforming to someone else’s idea of what Christianity should be. No, the Way of Christ is a radical invitation to transformation, to a life infused with mystery, love, and deep inner change.
The Way of Christ is not about seeking certainty. It's about embracing mystery. It's about living with the tension of not having all the answers and yet, still being in relationship with a God who is bigger than any one box we can put God in.
Think about this: Christ’s life, his death, his resurrection—they weren’t simply about right belief. They were about surrender. They were about letting go. In fact, the Way of Christ challenges us to be open to the world and its messiness, rather than retreating into safe, controlled spaces. It’s about allowing ourselves to experience the pain and joy of life fully, knowing that God is with us in it all.
The Bible itself isn’t a rulebook—it’s a story. And this story invites us into a journey. A journey not of perfection, but of progress. Not of certainty, but of discovery. And it’s a story we are invited to participate in, not just as passive listeners, but as active players who bring our own stories, struggles, and triumphs into the mix.
You see, this is where the Way of Christ intersects with our daily lives. It speaks to our desire to live with meaning in a world that often feels fragmented and lost. It challenges us to move beyond superficiality, to see the divine spark in one another. To love not just with words, but with actions that bring justice, compassion, and peace into our communities.
And here’s where we turn to the voices of those who have walked the mystical path before us—women like Julian of Norwich and Teresa of Avila. These women knew that the Way of Christ was more than just doctrine; it was an experience. Teresa of Avila once said, “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.” In that simple statement, she captured the essence of the Way: we are the hands and feet of Christ. We are called to be Christ to one another, especially in a world that seems to desperately need the kind of love and mercy that Jesus embodied.
And let’s not forget the profound insights of modern mystics like Cynthia Bourgeault, who has written about the deeper meanings of Christ's presence in the world. She teaches us that to walk the Way of Christ is to engage in a deep, contemplative silence, where God is present not just in the words we speak, but in the spaces between those words. It’s in the pauses, in the stillness, that we find the living God who holds the universe and our hearts in balance.
We’re often balancing so many different aspects of life—work, family, responsibilities, and personal growth. But the Way of Christ invites us into a deeper rhythm. It’s not about adding more to our already full plates, but about shifting the way we engage with the world. It’s about seeking presence over productivity. It’s about practicing gratitude over grasping. It’s about embracing the mystery over demanding the answers.
Let me leave you with this: The Way of Christ is not about getting everything right. It’s about being open to transformation, even in the midst of uncertainty. It’s about learning to love when it’s hard, to forgive when it seems impossible, to act justly when the world feels unjust.
The true meaning of Christ’s way is a deep call to live with eyes wide open—seeing the beauty, the pain, and the possibility in every moment. And in doing so, we become the reflection of Christ’s love in the world. Because the way of Christ is always about love—love for others, love for ourselves, and a radical love for the world as it is, messy and beautiful all at once.
So, this year ahead, 2025, I challenge you to ask yourself: How can I live more fully in the Way of Christ? How can I step into that mystery and love, and be a living example of that love to the world around me? The invitation is here, right now, for all of us. Happy New Year."
Fr Ben Edwards
Vicar of Holy Innocents Great Barton & St Peter's Thurston
Did you or a member of your family get engaged this festive season? We'd love to host your wedding ceremony at either of our parish churches, St Peter's Thurston or Holy Innocents Great Barton
This time of the year is often ‘fuzzed’ by the festivities of Christmas and New Year – we can feel a bit numb to daily life as it enters into a whirl of activity. For some of us, it highlights our losses, our failures, adds pressure, the prospect of dealing with troublesome family members looms large and it can be a bit much.
It is often a time when we take stock of what has occurred in our lives in the past year. We usually assess our joys and sorrows, the good and the less good, in a variety of different ways. For some, the landscape we find ourselves in can be comfortable, full of reassuring people and surroundings, the current social climate agrees with us and we feel confident in the future. For others, it can seem like the beginning of a nightmare, with times of trial ahead and dealing with things that can stretch our patience, our happiness and wellbeing.
St Peter’s Church Thurston is in URGENT need of an honorary treasurer. Is this a role you could fill? We believe there is someone out there who could help us.
Are you numerate and experienced in using accounting software?
Could you manage the financial performance of our church?
Do you have good communication skills?
If you are interested and would like to know more, please contact the following people.
is giving myself a present. I don't do it very often, but I really appreciate the gift when I do. In October I decided that this was a good time for a self-chosen and self-presented gift; kind of an early Christmas present. I chose to sign up for a 6 week Writing Course offered by Thurston Library. What a great treat.
Years ago I took three writer's courses, at two year intervals, offered by Cambridge University. These were 2-night residential stays in Madingley Hall. Each course was lead by a published author, and they were terrific fun. The lectures were inter-active, and we had at least one written assignment per day. There were several courses run at the same time, so lots of opportunity to connect and chat with students from other classes. We had single rooms where we could work uninterrupted, and the food was GREAT.
Thurston Library does not offer a residential opportunity, but the leader is a published author. Dr. Pema Clark PhD is presenting "An Introduction to Creative Writing". I think there are 14 or 15 of us, ranging in age from about 17 to 80ish. I am definitely in the upper age range. She has us doing exercises to stimulate our abilities and imaginations each session. We occasionally work in small groups as well. THERE IS ALSO HOMEWORK. Whew. I really enjoy writing, but I like to do it when I please, and choose my own subject. (In point of fact, I really only like to do anything at all when I please, if I please.) So I am not completely successful with the homework. Still, I am truly enjoying my Tuesday evening classes. I find the other students very interesting and wonder why each has chosen to take this course. I hope I find out in the next four weeks. In the meantime, my early Christmas gift to myself is definitely a success already, and I am looking forward to each session, stretching myself mentally which is a good thing, and wondering what new things I might find out about myself.
The Christmas season has officially begun if I am thinking about gifts. Today was our Christmas Fayre in the Institute. It is good to have many people come together to raise much needed funds for our church. The buzz of conversation in the hall was great, possibly helped a bit by the mulled wine.
Advent is close; and the church will soon be decorated with trees, all sparkling in the dark of the year, with the crib reminding us that a Babe born over 2000 years ago is still relevant in our lives every day, in fact, a gift to us from God.
We are whizzing toward the New Year. I wonder what that will bring us? May God grant us the wisdom to greet each day as a gift, and the wit to use that gift well.
is finding something I had tucked away in a drawer, knowing I would be glad to see it again one day. Recently I found a Christmas note my Aunt Dot sent for Christmas 2007. Aunt Dot was two years older than my Mother, the second and third children respectively in a family of four girls. Her note reads:
"I had a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Memory early this year. They told me they are taking back my memories. I was so shaken, I didn't ask any questions.
I know they have been taking my memories, as now I can remember very little of the past. Isn't that sad?
I am so happy that you were a part of my good years."
My Aunt died in 2009. She was a very unusual woman. She really liked the company of men, including 3 husbands (or 4?) She divorced the first one, took some courses at the local collage, worked for years as a Medical Secretary, and raised her 5 children on her own. She had the happy knack of speaking to children as if they were older than their years; she was the Aunt who organised picnics, or day trips to the lake or swimming pool. She kept a scrapbook of all of my concerts, plays, ski meets, and County Fair Queen engagements, and gave it to me when I graduated High School.
Dot's house was full of colour. She would whizz through her house with paint and brush every couple of years, and change everything. Beautiful, and just right for her. We certainly could never guess what she would say about anything - but that meant it was exciting to be with her. She also, along with my sister-in-law, cared for my Mother through several years of Cancer treatments.
She did make my early teenage years a bit painful by moaning about her inability to gain weight, and reported that her doctor had directed her to drink at least one milkshake a day. I was delighted when she began to gain weight years later during her "change". I didn't know what that was, but I was glad she had caught it!
When I was in my 30s, my sister Becky and I were both home for a visit. Aunt Dot surprised us with tickets to the theatre, then took us out for a drink after in a pricey hotel. A pianist was playing quietly, and one or two couples were dancing. There was a dapper man, about my Aunt's age, who was dancing with unaccompanied women. He came to our table and asked me to dance. I stammered, "Me? I can't dance." But he insisted, and learned that I could dance, but only on his feet. Then he asked Becky, and his toes fared much better. After he brought he back to the table, he asked Aunt dot to dance. She turned him down flat. Becky and I couldn't believe it - she loved to dance. But no, she wouldn't. We left soon after that. As my delightful Aunt pulled her big Cadillac out onto the road, the Dapper Dancing Man stepped off the curb. Dot hit the accelerator. Becky and I gasped. Dapper Dancing Man shot backwards our of reach. Dot snarled, "Huh, ask me third, will you?" and took us home.
Aunt Dot did loose her memories, but I've kept a lot of them safe for her. I hope my family will do the same for me.
Did you or a member of your family get engaged this festive season? We'd love to host your wedding ceremony at either of our parish churches, St Peter's Thurston or Holy Innocents Great Barton
St Peter’s Church Thurston is in URGENT need of an honorary treasurer. Is this a role you could fill? We believe there is someone out there who could help us.