Guest editorial by The Rev Rose Luxford.
A number of years ago a message came out via the internet entitled ''The Paradox of our Time'' (attributed to a Bob Moorehead).
It included lines such as ''The paradox of our time in history is that ... we have more experts but more problems, we spend more but have less ... we have more conveniences but less time, more knowledge but less judgement. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life ... We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour ... We've conquered outer space, but inner space remains a mystery. These are the times of striving for world peace, but there is domestic warfare'', and so on.
A paradox has been defined as a statement that apparently contradicts itself, but yet might be true. An example - ''Deep down, you're really shallow''.
As we go through life we can find many surprises. We can hear profound thoughts from a child at a kindergarten, and immature statements from the debating chamber.
We can receive insight from someone suffering from dementia and ignorance from the well-educated.
Pre-conceived ideas of people and values can get turned upside down in our paradoxical world.
In the novel by Rachel Joyce, The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry, the main character undertakes a pilgrimage through Britain.
As he does so, he has time to reflect on his life and on the human condition. He talks of learning that it was the smallness of people that filled him with wonder and tenderness.
He found that he couldn't pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique, and that was the dilemma of being human.
Like the man on his pilgrimage, in this business of living we find paradox and surprise, and it keeps life interesting.
We learn to live with ambiguity and find richness in that.
As we approach Christmas we stumble across some other things.
We can find that what we really want and think we need doesn't always bring satisfaction.
We discover that moments of delight can come from unexpected places.
We can be disappointed when what we look forward to doesn't always meet our expectations.
We can find that it is through giving that we receive.
These days the celebration of the birth of Jesus can tend to get pushed to the edges of the Christmas event, and yet it remains a central focus of Christian communities and individuals around the world.
And the paradox is evident again.
Here we have a vulnerable child who brings the promise of a renewed world. There are signs of hope in a hostile environment.
A poor family receive the richest of gifts.
There is the humble beginning for a man whose radical life transformed, and continues to transform, the lives of millions of people.
The extraordinary is found in the ordinary. God with us in human form - Emmanuel.
It is in the paradox that we find understanding.
These discoveries in the seemingly simple story provide metaphors for the bigger story of our living, and they tend to be at odds with commonly held perceptions.
The value of a person is not to be found in what they have accumulated or what power they think they have.
Success is not about having a celebrity status and happiness does not come from the particular circumstances of our lives.
Rather, we find that each life is of unique value, that amazing strength and promise can come through the vulnerable, and the ordinary circumstances of life often produce the most extraordinary experiences.
In the busyness of the Christmas event, it is good to take some time to reflect on the narrative by which we live our lives.
Does this narrative take into account the possibility that there is more to life than what we can just see?
Does it have a generosity of vision?
Is it authentic for us?
Can it accommodate paradox?
A paradox has been defined as a statement that apparently contradicts itself, but yet might be true ...
• The Rev Rose Luxford is minister at St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Oamaru.
