December 2024
Of course, it isn’t Christmas yet. Strictly speaking, this is the Advent edition of the Parish Magazine; and how much we miss if we skip over this season in our haste to get to the tinsel and mince pies!
From 1st to 24th December, these four weeks provide the space we need to understand Christmas in its proper perspective. Traditionally, this is a time to reflect on hope, peace & joy and to recall the ancient prophecies which point to the arrival (the adventus) of the Christ who was promised and in whom history finds its meaning. At the culmination of Advent, we will read again Micah’s ancient prophecy that from ‘Bethlehem shall come forth one whose origin is from ancient days; and he shall stand and feed his flock’. Words written eight centuries before the events to which they point.
Bethlehem, usually a magnet for tourists, stands largely empty this year, as our front cover shows. Sylvia Fox explains why on p.8 and invites our support for those in the Middle East for whom Advent and Christmas will be as bleak as the rest of this year.
Happily, that other Bethlehem, the home of the Christmas story, is present here too, in the carols on which Larry reflects (p.4), the yuletide revelery of our ancestors (p.18), the tidings of comfort and joy to be found in well-loved hymns (p.24) or cherished traditions (p.32), and in the annual offering of Christmas films (p.36). We even have some ideas about what you might buy for the children in your life (p.12) if you’re short of other present ideas.
So, happy Advent and, when the time comes, a very merry Christmas!