We had a lovely time over Christmas and the New Year. There were some special occasions in worship, some precious moments with the family and some unexpected periods of joyful inactivity when we enjoyed having a good rest.

It was a useful reminder that the practice of ‘sabbath’ can be a helpful act of resistance to the constant pressure we experience to live a restless existence.

I had some very nice gifts too, and none more so than the many encouragements that came my way, some from unexpected sources. They came in various ways: via text, in cards and through personal contact but they underlined the truth of Derek Bingham’s words that encouragement can prove ‘oxygen for the soul’.

I recalled one Christian author reflecting on the impact that a young man had had on her frenetically busy husband one Christmas. She had been wondering if he had the resources to continue with his hectic schedule when the doorbell rang, and she heard someone thanking him for the previous night’s carol service. He went from ‘stunned’ to ‘relieved’ and then to ‘delighted’ she said.

We often underestimate the transformative power of encouragement, which is why I believe it would be good if we all resolved to become better encouragers in 2025.

If you are looking for a good role model or ‘influencer’ you could do no better than take a look at the New Testament Christian whose name meant ‘son of encouragement’. He had such an amazing impact on his fellow believers that they stopped calling him Joseph and renamed him Barnabas.

It’s also worth noticing that the Greek word that we translate as ‘encourage’ can also mean ‘to earnestly plead’ because it’s a helpful reminder that encouragement is a very positive activity. We don’t have to flatter people of course, and we don’t have to bend the truth, but we can all make a determined effort to lift people up when they are feeling down or facing a huge challenge. We can remind them that they are valuable and that we can tell them that we are grateful for the impact they have had on our lives too.

But before I finish let me remind you of some words that were quoted by King George VI in 1939. ‘And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”’

I thought of these words when I was listening to a recent discussion about the dangers facing us because of the rapid development of AI technology. I was particularly struck by one expert’s concern that this will the first time in history that we humans we will have to live in a world where greater intelligence than ourselves will be at work.

I understood his reasoning, and I identified with his apprehension, but I found myself profoundly disagreeing with his conclusion. Whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, this world always has been and always will be under the control of DI (Divine Intelligence) not AI and so we can face the future with hope in spite of the turbulence.