Prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. In part, this is understandable. How is it that the God of the universe could be moved by prayers offered by ordinary people hardly known outside their own neighborhood? And yet he is, for surely that is the meaning of the parable of the widow and the unjust judge

This week our daughter Sarah got the call from her doctor no one wants to get. Thankfully, thyroid cancer is highly treatable and the specialist was very reassuring.

The shock came, we prayed together and God began to meet her, and us.

There’s been an explosion of people demanding rights. Womens' rights, mens’ rights, transgender rights, gay rights, black rights, indigenous rights, and many more. Seeing as the first two (or three?) groups alone encompass one hundred per cent of the population, it appears that everyone is now demanding rights.

Has anyone noticed how social media has affected our interaction with other people? And even with fellow Christians?

Ten years ago, we would have considered it abnormal behaviour to go into a room full of people we knew in varying degrees, get up on a chair and start lecturing them on some contentious topic. And doing so knowing perfectly well that our opinion would be offensive to some of those people.

This year has been summed up in one phrase: what else can go wrong?

In the midst of our pandemic despair rises the spectre of racism. I have been profoundly moved recently listening to the stories of pain and suffering from black men and women I know and respect in several different countries. I decided there was more wisdom listening to them than rushing to put forth my own opinions. Letting them speak makes most of what we white folk have to say redundant and unnecessary. For us to listen is the first step. More must then come, of course. And there is no better place to start than with Christians.