Weekly Reflection – I wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

By the time you read this the mince pies will doubtless long be gone, the turkey a thankfully distant memory, and most (if not all) of the decorations taken down and packed away for another year. The New Year revelries have been and gone in a kaleidoscope of fireworks, and resolutions are being resolutely kept or broken, depending on the strength of one’s willpower. It seems that the Christmas festivities are all but over as we look ahead to another new year and all the opportunities and challenges that will bring. The world has moved on and we are back to normality (and work) with a thud.

But Christmas isn’t just for Christmas … It’s really only just begun. A little over a week ago we celebrated once again the birth of our Saviour in Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago; but the wonderful story of Christ’s coming into the world carries on. The great feast of Epiphany is almost upon us, recalling the visit of the Magi to the infant Christ and their offering of gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh – another opportunity for gift-giving, celebration, and Twelfth Night cake for us in the present day. In the cathedral the Crib will remain on display until Candlemas on the 2 February – the true end of the Christmas season – as a reminder of what we are still celebrating, and as a focus for our prayers.

This part of the Church year that contains Epiphany reminds us once again that the birth of Christ was only the beginning of his ministry here on earth; Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan at which the voice of God proclaimed that ‘this is my Son’, and the miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (both of which preceded his formal ministry of teaching and preaching), reveal to us the divine authority of Christ and point towards his power to save and to offer the world both hope and new life. Orthodox Christians call this time of year the ‘Theophany’, which means the visible manifestation of Christ as the Son of God.

So, even though reality has now kicked in and Christmas seems far away, I encourage you to continue to celebrate the coming of Christ to the world and to rejoice in God’s saving gift to each one of us. And may I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a joyful New Year.

In Christ,
Canon Kathryn