Rambling Rector

Where has this year gone? 

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After last month’s Rambling Rector about war seeming more and more inevitable, I thought I would turn to cheerier times as we run up to Christmas. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, probably THE most significant birth in history. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a country that was under occupation by a foreign power (The Roman Empire). This bred resentment, as foreign occupation still does today, and the local people were looking for a war saviour to kick out the Romans. That was their prayers and they had faith that God would send a Messiah to fight and defeat them, giving them their and back. The baby Jesus was that Messiah, but he did not fight. As Jesus grew up and started teaching about loving our neighbour and treating everybody equally with special regard to the sick, poor and disadvantaged, those in power felt threatened and ultimately executed Jesus on the cross. The resurrection, three days later on Easter Sunday gave the victory over death and the path to heaven. This proved that love is stronger than hate, greed and power. And all this began at Christmas, the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. That is why we sing about peace and goodwill in our carols. 

At the heart of Christmas is the profound message of God's love and humility. The story of Jesus' birth, as narrated in the Gospels, tells of a humble beginning in a manger in Bethlehem. This simple and serene setting contrasts sharply with the grandeur and majesty traditionally associated with a king's arrival. It is a reminder that God often works in unexpected ways, choosing the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. 

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Even if you don’t hold Jesus Christ in high regard, you can still enjoy Christmas, have a feast, share presents, spend time with family etc. A break from the everyday tasks is important for our mental health.  The shops will have been in full swing selling everything Christmas and playing lots of Christmas carols for weeks, but don’t let that dampen your enthusiasm for enjoying the festive day, or even the Christmas festive season which lasts for 12 days until the 5th of January. Although I am not very good at sticking to it, I like the tradition of decorations being put up on Christmas eve and being taken down on 6th January, it does provide some form of focus on the Christmas season. 

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If you are reading this in December, then this is what we are preparing to celebrate. If in Christmas season, then this is what we are celebrating, and if in January, that is the season of Epiphany, the coming of the Magi, and we can think about what our response will be. We are trying out a new service this year on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year, called the ‘After Feast’. This plans to be a time to pause after the excess of Christmas and to think about what we might do in the new year. Coming to a church service just after Christmas is not necessarily something that many do, but it can be an opportunity for a spiritual deep clean by coming for an hour of spiritual gentleness focussing on the ‘Holy Other’. 

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Maybe I’ll see you at a service this Christmas tide where we can discover a little more about Jesus and meet some neighbours. There is a list in the centre pages of all the services in these villages. If you would like to learn a little each day of Christmas, this year’s Church of England Christmas campaign is ‘Follow the Star, 12 days of wonder’, a resource to follow for the 12 days of Christmas from Christmas Day to the 5th January, https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/what-we-believe/advent-and-christmas/follow-star-great-invitation is the link. The website has links to download apple and android apps, request daily email reflections, open an online advent calendar (sorry no online chocolates). If you don’t want to type all that in, you could go to this magazines website and click on the link. If you have a smart speaker just say “Ask the Church of England for today’s Follow the Star reflection”. The story of Jesus hasn’t changed in 2000 years, most of our churches are hundreds of years old but there are modern ways to get the message across. 

May the peace and love of Jesus illuminate your lives and the lives of those you touch.  

PS: One of the above paragraphs was written by AI, can you spot it? 

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Have a great Christmas. 

Rev Chris 

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