In their annual Christmas messages, bishops of the Church of England speak of the end of 2021 as a time of uncertainty and anxiety but say the message of the Christmas story is needed more than ever.The Bishop of Lichfield, Dr Michael Ipgrave (see photo), refers to weeks of uncertainty about whether some Christmas celebrations should go ahead amid concerns about spreading covid-19, at the end of “another unsettling year for the human race, and us as individuals”.But he adds: “Every Christmas we tell again the story of … God, who loves our world so much that he chooses to come among us – not because he is obliged to, not because we have asked him to, but simply out of grace.“We always begin with grace, and we always come back to grace, shown in the sign of Emmanuel, God with us in Jesus Christ, born as a baby among us.“No law, no government, no power on earth can cancel the wonder of that birth.”In his message, the Bishop of Coventry, Dr Christopher Cocksworth, takes up the theme.He asks: “If Christmas is about hope breaking into a hopeless world, why are we so quick to speak of Christmas being ‘cancelled’ under the threat of things such as a new variant?“Nothing can cancel Christmas, even if circumstances mean that our celebrations are imperfect. “Jesus’s birth, after all, was messy – an unexpected pregnancy, a young family on the move, a makeshift birthplace. “What matters is that our Christmas celebrations this year – and I pray they’ll be easier than the last – tell us of the constant, unchanging reality that God is with us in every situation.”The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, speaks about how recent events – whether refugees travelling to seek safety or the pandemic restrictions which affected where everyone could or could not go at different times – have shown the power of “place”.The same thing is reflected most powerfully of all in the Christmas story, she explains.“Over 2,000 years ago, God chose to come to earth in human flesh and live among us,” she says.“I love the translation of John’s Gospel which says, ‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood’.”She adds: “Wherever you are, whatever your story, God knows you by name and loves you, and Jesus Christ is present to be encountered in the places where you are.“This Christmas may each of us be open to the hope and love and life of Jesus Christ in all the different places of our lives. God with us.” The Bishop of Burnley Philip North, reflects that Jesus was born in the midst of great uncertainty.“This will be an odd Christmas,” he says. “I hope you enjoy yourselves and have a good time, but we are going to be anxious, it is an uncertain year. “We’ll be watching the news and wondering what new restrictions are going to be imposed on our lives. “So, in the midst of it all why not take some time to gaze into the manger, to look at Mary’s child, because in that baby we find the One in whom we can place all our trust.”
This picture has shaped my thoughts and prayers these past few weeks of Advent. Before you read on, dwell on it for a moment: I wonder if and how it speaks to you?It was a very simple brief that Bishop Andrew and I proposed for our Christmas card this year - 'a refugee mother and child’ - and we had no idea what would come back! But we were agreed this was a good risk to take, not least given that the art class which runs weekly at HMP Send (thanks to the Michael Varah Foundation and Watts Gallery) seemed to welcome our commission. It was Deborah who stepped up, researched the Afghan crisis and then painted this, inspired by and adapted from one particular photograph she found. Covid has thus far prevented the chance to meet Deborah, though we have exchanged messages. I declare her a theologian, instinctively even if unconsciously so! This Madonna captures the burden of responsibility, the marvel at a gift and the fragility of new life all at once - much as I recall for myself as a new parent. But this image then stretches me further, to relate to some of the dangers and horrors of the (Afghan) context: and even there, to glimpse beauty and to risk hope.‘So who is God? And what is God like?’ I'm sometimes asked. The incarnation offers a particular ‘photograph’ of God, that is utterly definitive yet as shocking to people today as 2000 years ago. Surprising expectation, God came as a child - powerless, dependent and vulnerable. There were the pains of child birth, the threats of abused power, and the dangers of red-zone travel. How come that the everlasting peace (of which the angels sang) could rest on so many uncertainties - today as 2000 years ago?Glimpsing beauty and risking hope are choices we take, not only in worship at Christmas, but in the struggles of our world today. But the uncertainty is over: God is with us in the birth of Emmanuel. Happy Christmas!Bishop Jo
Every year the number of people attending the Sunday service increases – from just 30 people five years ago, it is now attended by more than 300 – as Lynn continues to inspire festival goers each year with the Christian message. When the Buckle and Boots Country Music Festival was launched five years ago, Revd Lynn Boyle was appointed as festival chaplain by founder Karl Hancock, after he met her at his uncle’s funeral, where she officiated. Today, the festivals at Whitebottom Farm have have grown to be internationally recognised – attracting more than 35,000 people of all ages. At each festival, Lynn talks with people about the Christian faith and invites festival goers to seek her out to talk and for prayer at any stage during the music festival weekend.“One of the reasons I chose to work behind the bar is it provides a way to break down barriers, it’s a great starting point,” Lynn explained.“The challenge is that people tend to have preconceived ideas about clergy.“Some of my greatest conversations have begun as I’ve been pouring a pint and then progressed from there.“So many times, I’ve been asked the question ‘does God love me?’ or ‘how can God love me?“For me, each encounter is a precious opportunity to reach out, to share and to affirm.” Lynn has also shared stories of traumas in her own life to illustrate her faith, which she believes has given her “extraordinary strength”. Many of those who attend her Sunday service at the music festivals had never been to church before.“I always hope that sharing my own experiences would help others realise that they are not alone in what they are facing,” she said.“We have a God who will hold us in our pain and provide what we need and will never desert us.” Jacqui Noble, who attended the Sunday service for the first time in 2021, said:“I was not in any way religious, but I was very moved, and left reflecting and thinking” Sarah Ziggi Ward, who had not been to church since childhood added: “I didn’t know what to expect from the Sunday service, I decided to give it a go despite my apprehension. “I left with hope and a deep sense of gratitude.”Another festival goer, Claire Charlton, who described herself as “not particularly religious” said: “The Sunday service at Buckle and Boots is one of my favourite parts of the weekend, I come away feeling grounded and in a better place mentally.”Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner, has said he is “absolutely delighted” with Lynn’s work. Although Lynn retires as Vicar of St Paul’s, Compstall on 31st December, after more than a decade in parish ministry, she is “definitely not stepping back” from her chaplaincy work at the Country Music Festivals of Whitebottom Farm. She added: “I will be ready and waiting to meet with next year’s 35,000 people!”
