My face lights up when singing this carol because I am transported back to a time of youthful innocence. I remember three of my friends producing a ‘spirit induced’ rendition at our final school Christmas do. As they were somewhat worse for wear the carol was less ‘We three kings of Orient are’ and more, ‘We kit-tens of orien tar.’
However, their inebriated joy and hope for the future shone through. You see, next year, these lads would end the first stage of their lives and progress to a new life at university, another learning institution or straight into work. Hope was in their hearts. One gained a first-class honours degree and became ‘something in the City’, another joined the Navy, whilst the third got a job locally. Some early hopes were dashed whilst others were fulfilled. But now I have a new memory of three wise men and new hopes.
Robert, Gerry and I started the CIPT course in September 2015 with hopes, fears and trepidation in equal measure. Our journey would not be an easy one for us, our loved ones or for our local churches but we persevered together. Mind you having re-read some of my early assignments, I think the tutors persevered too. So, module followed module and eventually after much soul searching, midnight-oil and tantrums aplenty we finished the course, together with three other students (Anna, Caroline and Kathy). I remember feeling a collective sigh of relief as we pressed the key to dispatch our final assignment.
So, what had we learned and were we really ‘wise?’ Well, discussing this the night before our graduation we concluded that our learning made us better equipped to undertake the particular ministerial role God had called us to. As for being wise, well, we are at least wiser than when we started. In some ways our journey, like the three kings in the carol, had reach a satisfactory conclusion. Our hopes had been fulfilled. But, in many ways, our journey has just begun. May you feel that same hope and you embark on what God has planned for you in 2020.
