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After the mid-term elections in America many people feel slightly more
optimistic that the problems in the Middle East (including the troubles in
Palestine and the situation in Iraq) may take a different direction.
Hopefully some consensus between all the nations in the Middle East,
including Syria and Iran and the western powers so heavily involved, will be
obtained.
It is against this turbulent background that Christians (themselves under
threat either by indifference in the Western world or by actual hostility in
the Muslim world) celebrate Advent and Christmas. Advent when we look
forward to the coming of Jesus. Christmas when we celebrate the fact
that God intervened in human history ‘when Julius Caesar was emperor of
Tiberius’.
God came in His Son Jesus to reveal the nature and extent of His love for
the human race. The world is no longer a mindless and meaningless entity but
the creation of a loving God who calls us to cooperate with Him ‘in drawing
all things to Himself’.
So at Advent and Christmas we are filled with this hope and respond with joy
and carols to God’s saving love.
What kind of Christmas?
At last there is a movement away from the consumerism of Christmas.
This is partly being driven by religious people but also by those who are
concerned about consumerism and the damage we are doing to the planet.
An AXA insurance survey last Christmas found that 40% of those questioned
admitted to agonising over their Christmas shopping. One quarter
relied on loans and credit cards. In 2004 parents spent 1.8 billion on
children’s presents. Yet 87% thought that children should be taught
more about the meaning of Christmas.
A movement is gaining ground among those who long for a simpler alternative
to the annual spending spree. It started in Canada in 1992 with ‘Buy
Nothing Day’ a campaign challenging people to spend 24 hours not visiting
the shops. This campaign has reached 63 countries including Britain
and the date fixed for this year was 25th November! Their
philosophy is
‘a Christian lifestyle richer in meaning, smaller in impact upon the
earth, and greater in giving to people less privileged. It
acknowledges that buying nothing at all may be impracticable, but urges that
any purchases to be in accordance with principles such as buying locally,
fair trade, environment-friendly packaging, recycling or reusing, and buying
things that will last’.
The main objective is to challenge over-consumption and its destructive
effects. Against the background of the recent publication of the Stern
report this makes examination of the impact of our Christmas consumption of
any kind worth evaluating and maybe amending. Anyway local spending and
recycling can take place at the Advent Fair on December 2nd.
Advent & Christmas at St Mary's
There are a series of Advent Study Groups (see calendar for dates) on
the subject of ‘Reflecting and Waiting’. These will be led by Barbara
Moreland and me. The Advent Carol service will be on Advent Sunday
December 3rd at 6-30pm. On Advent Sunday morning I will be
preaching on the subject of change.
The children’s Nativity play will be performed on Sunday December 17th
at the 9-30 service and again at the Christingle service on Christmas Eve at
5-00pm. The service of 9 lessons and carols will be on Sunday 17th
December at 6-30pm and parish carol singing will be on Wednesday 20th
December. We will meet on the corner of Daybrook Road with Dorset road
at 7-00pm. Karl and I will be leading the singing so I hope many
of you will join us in raising money for the homeless charity ‘Crisis’.
Please note the change of service times on Christmas Eve. There will
be no 8.00am service and the morning Eucharist will be at 10.00am. On
Christmas day itself it has been decided to combine the 9-30am service with
the 11-30am service and there will be one service an All Age Family
Christmas Eucharist at 10.00am.
I hope this will give you and all your friends and families ample
opportunities to celebrate the true joy of Christmas.
Jan joins with me in wishing you all a joyful and peaceful Christmas.
Your priest and friend
Tom Leary
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