I am back in Toronto, the celebrations of the end of the year have come to an end and we are heading into the hard part of winter for me. In a normal year, I’d get out of dodge for much warmer climes for a couple of weeks. But that, of course, isn’t possible this year.

Add to that the dire statements of many of our leaders and experts, saying that the next few months will be very tough indeed, in Canada, and you have the recipe for a much more difficult than usual winter.

So I was glad to come across this during the past week:

Be encouraged, friends, God is not helpless among the ruins. God is not helpless when our world is in a mess. Christmas, in fact, reminds us that God comes to us and dwells with us in the midst of our mess.

And always remember what Jesus said:

So, until tomorrow, dear friends: cling to hope, cling to the promises of God, trust that God is still able – more than able – to make a way for us in the midst of a messy, broken world.