Christmas 2023 Pastoral Letter

Dear Friends,

The events of the first Christmas were strange and wonderful. That was the experience of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men. For them, the first coming of Jesus was disturbing and awesome.

But too many of us have lost the awe. We tend to receive the account of the first Christmas with familiarity. For some of us, the Christmas Message of Hope is well and truly lost on us. We prefer to be lost in a myriad of TV adverts, the annual return of Christmas specials or I’m a Celebrity , cheesy celebrity soundbites, secular Christmas concerts , family rows or disagreements about where Uncle Percy will stay this year (“is it our turn again?”) or a good works night out.

Are you in need of more awe this Christmas? The claim of Jesus, the gospel writers and letter writers of the New Testament, is that the creator of the universe was born in Bethlehem that night. Is that not awesome?

The “heavenly risk assessment” for Jesus’ first months must have run into several pages. Born of an inexperienced young mother on a long journey to an overcrowded town. With powerful enemies soon intent on killing him: dangerous journeys across the desert as a refugee family. Do you not wonder at the rollercoaster ride that was Jesus’ arrival on this earth? It is rather awesome.

Jesus was born into an unfashionable, ordinary, family with what we could describe as “marital issues”. Circumstances caused his birth to be in a cattle shed because they were most certainly not from The Inn Crowd. Jesus’ visitors, came (eventually) to worship him: from the roughest of locals to the smoothest of foreigners all guided by a celestial light show. They were all filled with awe. Most people missed it, even though it was the working out of a plan that had been conceived at the time of the first humans and revealed over many centuries.

There are not many places in our community to find a suitable expression of this joyful awesomeness but the Church is one. There are not many places that allow you to enjoy this kind of awe at Christmastime. But your churches in Powick, Callow End, Madresfield and Newland are indeed such a place. Why don’t you come?

Please see our website (www.oldhillsmalvern.co.uk) or our Facebook and X posts for more details. We are all going on a Walk of Wonder around Madresfield on Sunday 10th December (with carols and readings – meet at the church at 10.30am) and carols with the Chase Brass Band at Penny Close in Guarlford (you can’t miss it – just follow the lights!). We are having a display of nativity scenes at Guarlford too (like a few other local churches). Instead of Nine Lessons this year, we are having a service with a gospel edge led by VoxRox from Upton on Sunday 17th December at Powick at 6pm. We have crib services at Callow End and Madresfield on Christmas Eve, followed by The First Communion of Christmas services at Powick and Guarlford too. You could even delay the Turkey or Nut roast or the new cracker game (the hunt for the missing Gift receipt) by coming to church on Christmas day, too (11am – Powick or Madresfield).

The first Christmas was awesome. This time round too, let’s encourage ‘more awe’.

With Festive greetings this Advent and onwards to Christmas

Rev Gary