I’ve decided life is complicated.  We live in a richly diverse world where everything seems to be connected to everything else.  Trade and industry; economics and politics; pollution & climate change; the living standards of ordinary people; health; poverty; war; culture and religion; law and justice; crime and punishment; pensions and old age – the list goes on.  Try to solve a problem in one area and up pops another problem in a different area.

For example, trying to reduce car usage (to help pollution) has a knock-on effect on motor manufacturers; closure of factories leads to a depressed community, poorer health, higher crime and so on.  But don’t think I’m against reducing our use of cars.  It could also trigger cleaner air, and hence healthier communities; and less travel could strengthen links within local communities.  Even something as destructive as the Second World War is fondly remembered by some because of the way it united people in a common purpose.

My point is that nothing really happens in isolation.  Tweak one aspect of life and the implications (both good and bad) ripple out and collide with other ripples generated by other tweaks.  As I said, life is complicated.

But that doesn’t mean we should throw in the towel and give up any attempt to understand or to engage with the world.  All it means is that we need God’s wisdom to guide us safely through the interconnecting complexities.

And how did God deal with this world?  By coming in the flesh, being born as one of us, and tackling the issues from a human perspective.  Jesus faced the same kind of varied life which we face today.  He dealt with politics (paying taxes to Caesar), wealth (the rich young ruler), domestic life (Mary and Martha), religion (laws about the Sabbath), social customs (talking to outcasts), health (all those healings) and many other issues.  I’m tempted to add the stilling of the storm as an example of climate change, but that would just be facetious.

Whether dealing with the major issues of the day or with the lives of individuals, Jesus always seemed to know exactly the right things to say and do.  At Christmas we will be celebrating the birth of a Saviour – and one of the ways he saves us is by standing where we stand and showing us the right way to live in this wonderful and complicated world.