Jenny Williams is Chief Executive of Habitat for Humanity Ireland. Read her reflection, the final in our series, below.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
I love Christmas, the lights in dark days, the Carols which allow us to sing the Christmas story and hearing again the familiar story of Jesus birth.
At the heart of Christmas, the story of Jesus birth, is a love story for our world. Love which changes everything, love which moved the shepherds to leave their sheep and come worship the one who was, in the words of Stuart Townend’s profound carol, Maker of Mary, now Mary’s son.
As we celebrate the love and hope and joy of Jesus birth we should not forget that we are called to act, to respond to the love that changes everything.
In a world so full of division, disaster and conflict I see that Habitat’s mission to put God’s love into action brings light and hope to individuals, families and communities.
We can’t solve every challenge but when we are motivated by love we help build the kind of world which Jesus calls us to. When we love God and love our neighbours we show the world some of God’s Kingdom and a hope worth living for.
I shared this L.R. Knost quote at our community connections event in June and as I thought about the need for us to be active in responding to Jesus birth I share again.
“Here's to the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light-bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world. They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whisperers of hope that peace is possible. Look for them in this present darkness. Light your candle with their flame. And then go. Build bridges. Hold hands. Bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for. Peace is possible. It begins with us.”
As I reflect again on this past year I give thanks for lives transformed by Habitat’s love in action mission. I give thanks for the many people who join Habitat in mission, staff and volunteers working in Ireland and in 60 countries who put love into action, extraordinary people quietly weaving threads of humanity into an inhumane world.
God of Hope, may our lives and actions reflect the light and truth that Jesus was born in a stable and died on a cross to give us hope. In a world where too many are hungry, where too many wait for a safe place to live, where too many families live in the shadow of war, where people are worried about how they can pay their bills - may hope and justice be born through us as we build your kingdom on earth. Amen
