This Christmas listen to those who are not usually heard

I was honoured to once again MC the lighting of the Christmas tree in our community. Over 200 people turned up to sing songs led by a joint Choir from Craigentinny and St Ninians Primary school, hear the Christmas story and prayers and do the count-down to the lights on.

Every year we get some-one significant to do the lighting up but this year was some-one with a different type of significance. I have met many famous and powerful people in my life but the ones I am really in awe of tend to be ones not in the headlines. Today was no except. Lynn Roberston lost her 5 year son Adam at the beginning of November to a pontine glioma (Brain stem tumour). She is one of the bravest people I know. She shared her journey from when Adam was diagnosed 6 months ago with the world in an astonishingly powerful blog which spoke volumes to all of us who read it.

It might seem odd to mix bereavement with Christmas celebrations but part of the Christmas message is about seeing hope in tough times and the idea that by sharing our struggles together we are stronger. Tonight our community stood with Lynn and the boys as they light the tree. In do so we said that we are with them in their sadness. We know we cannot take it away but we also know that community that shares pain of its members is a stronger place. And we were also inspired by their bravery in being willing to stand up and do such a public act of celebration when their pain is so great. As has been the case for the last 6 months, they were an inspiration to us all.

Tonight more than ever, I was proud of the community I have the privilege of representing for being so fully human in giving yet again a glimpse of the power of the divine, of undefeatable love.