From the Vicarage - December

When did you see your first Christmas Jumper, this year? Mine was the morning of 1^st November in Wetherby, and it was being nonchalantly worn by a gentleman fetching in his bin. The wearing of the Christmas Jumper will by now have gained momentum and will reach a climax around 11^th/ 12^th Dec, when Christmas Jumper Day is kept in countless workplaces and schools. The brightest and jolliest jumpers will be put on and worn with pride and delight and in the process, donations will be made to charitable organisations to make the season a little brighter for others too. 

One of the biblical phrases celebrated in our Collingham Church School is the phrase, “Above all else, put on love…” (Colossians 3.14) and perhaps could be a phrase we remember as we pull on our Christmas Jumpers – or if jumpers are not your thing, then your alternative festive attire. One of my favourite, although lesser known, Christmas Carols, is the setting of a Christina Rossetti poem and begins with the words “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine. Love was born at Christmas, stars and angels gave the sign”. At the heart of the fast-approaching season is the Christian story of the child born in a manger who is the sign and gift of God’s Love. Those gathered in church on Christmas Eve, at that special nearly-midnight hour, will hear the words telling us that God “became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth”. (John 1.14) The mystery of what seems like such a simple story, is that God put on human form in order to reveal his love to the world.

When did you see your first Christmas Advert, this year? Mine was November 2^nd - a day after the jumper incident!  You will all have seen it by now with its endearing revisit of the BFG (Big Friendly Giant). After helping save the day when a decidedly unfriendly and greedy giant wreaks havoc at people’s festive tables, the BFG is invited by the supermarket employee to lunch. The BFG suggests that she won’t have room for him. Without hesitation, she replies, “It’s Christmas, we’ll make room!” That sentiment too is borrowed from the heart of our Christmas story - a small detail which often appears much larger in school nativity plays. The baby laid in a manger bed is housed in the simplicity of a stable because “there was no room in the inn” (Luke 2.7).

As we begin to put the final tweaks to our Christmas preparations and celebrations can we ensure that somewhere at the heart of it all is a “Putting on (of) Love” for those around us, and a “Making Room…” for someone who may otherwise be forgotten.  

 I look forward to seeing many of you over the season – jumper-wearing optional!

Love and Prayers     

Carolyn - The Rev’d Carolyn A James