Writer Dylan Morrison

Sitting here, in the silence of a Christmas morn, I’m somewhat bewildered as I look back over the Journey of the last twelve months. What exactly has been going on and where are we as humankind heading? What perhaps more important, where am the one called ‘I’ heading?

The stillness all around, and the curtailment of normal human activity, yes even Covid restricted normality, helps me to escape the frantic perception of ego, and drift into an altogether field of vision, one where all appears timeless, yet part of a great Plan. I’d better explain.

I, as one of a multitude of 21st century versions of the clay-clad Adam, find ourselves, not in a Garden of Divine Presence, but in a fast-moving, techno-driven matrix of illusion and manipulation. Modern life, has rapidly morphed into a complex dance, one where our very Core Essence, has been usurped by a pseudo-self, one knocked to and fro, by the ever spiralling contradictions of our global connected age. The suffering of all, at least a multitude more than those in our fleshed-out social circles, is daily presented to us, to stoke up our fear levels and keep us in a state of angst-fuelled compliance and powerlessness. The financial markets and those addicted to power, rule over us, seeing us all as no more than pawn-like worker bees, one to keep their kingdoms running along nicely, thank you very much.

Competition is now the name of the game, with equal rights for ever-increasing numbers of downtrodden minorities, real or imaginary, clamouring for our guilt induced attention. As a result, we live in a permanently heightened fight or flight state, knocking back our drugs of choice to hold it all together. Not a great way to live methinks.

So, along comes a little virus, with a mysterious origin, to shake us out of our stupor, killing vast numbers of the human family before their time. Amazingly, something so small has attacked the modern world with venom and effectiveness. Our previous Babel like boasts of earthen supremacy now appear to be no more than a cruel joke. The tiny viral David, has well and truly knocked the Goliath-like structures of our evolved cultures for six, with the poor often bearing much of the tragic result.

And yet, some of us are beginning to get the message. We are mortal after all with a beginning and an end within this space-time theatre of dreams. Yes, we will all die, shocking as it is. Having stocked up on a mountain of personal securities, all will eventually come crashing down as we exit this frenzied existence, at a time not of our choosing.

At first glance it all appears to be one great Cosmic joke, with the Universe having the last laugh. Dust to dust and all that! Vanity of vanities, as the Old Testament wisely suggests. If that were all there is to it then we’d be much better all exiting the scene now, leaving the stage of this comedy of errors.

Thankfully though, in the midst of the hopelessness of such a perception, comes One, born in a cold, stone manger of working class parents, One who in adult life both announced and demonstrated a transforming revelation of a Love beyond this veil of tears. A Presence both transcendent and immanent, without and within – the One described by the One as ‘Abba’ or ‘Father’. Beyond the pinball games of ego, lies an all-encompassing Source, one with both the desire and endless compassion of a Father. No wonder, the Nazarene preacher-prophet, of which I speak, was rapidly got rid of by those clinging on to their political and religious positions. For such a message, of One beyond, could turn the whole world upside down if it got out!

So there you have it folks! 25th December 2020, and the truth remains the same, bringing hope to us in the midst of an ever-increasing world. A wake up call for sure, one that calls us all back to basics – the very purpose of our existence. In the Silence of your Christmas morn, may ‘Abba’ make Himself known and infuse you with His unconditional and unshakeable Love.

Blessings

Dylan