Christian Comment with Rev Eric Massey of Rodborough Tabernacle

IN THE last few years I have worked with others across all faiths in the prison service.

The quest for new beginnings, a second chance, was at the heart of much of the work for all staff and inmates.

It was a work that was sometimes frustrated by people refusing offenders a second chance to work, to gain a home, to rebuild relationships.

The outside world could be a harsh place for some.

As we begin a New Year, with nations pledging to work together for the betterment of the planet, and people opening their doors, their cupboards and their hearts to refugees, there is perhaps a renewed optimism.

Believing in God can be a struggle, some want a God who intervenes in the every day, others want fairness and justice and even peace, these things are not dependent on God but upon us.

We could make a new start, put our thinking and our beliefs into action that could change the way the world is and the part we play in it, Stroud offers many possibilities.

You may take a moment to think about God in your own life, take the opportunity as the year unfolds to speak with people of faith you may discover something new.

The Christmas message of joy and hope can still be ringing in our ears as we step into this year of opportunity.

Perhaps no-one told you that Jesus became a refugee, perhaps no one mentioned that he was taken by anxious parents to a new land, where a different language was spoken, he was a child, innocent, defenceless in a world where terror roamed every bit as much as it does today.

Somewhere, we are not told where, a door must have opened to give them a new start, strangers must have made them welcome, offered food and shelter.

Fears must have been overcome by kindness and tiredness overcome by the offer of a place to rest and stay.

It is a new year, perhaps the world will meet a new you.