Today was the first proper summer day of the year in my home city, and the first in several weeks, so I and many other Victorians migrated to the beaches to enjoy it. And the beach is not a bad place to see in the last day of Christmas, particularly if you want Shakespeare’s TwelfthContinue reading “On the twelfth day of Christmas…”
Category Archives: Christmas
On the eleventh day of Christmas…
We’re nearly at the end of Christmas season, and, if we’ve managed to stay focused on the season and not on all the busyness of the new year, we may be beginning to wonder where to put our attentions now. Traditionally tomorrow would be the time for the big party (the Twelfth Night that’s mostlyContinue reading “On the eleventh day of Christmas…”
On the tenth day of Christmas…
At first there’s nothing especially Christmassy about the story of Ruth from the Old Testament. It doesn’t have the messianic promises of Isaiah or Hannah’s song. There’s nothing about kingship or a promised saviour. So why is it one of the readings for today, the tenth day of Christmas? Ruth’s is a story where mostContinue reading “On the tenth day of Christmas…”
On the ninth day of Christmas…
Fittingly, after yesterday reminded us that Jesus was – and is – fully God and fully human, today we remember one of the early church leaders who did much to ensure the church held on to that truth. January 2 in the western church calendar remembers two of the Cappadocian Fathers, Basil the Great andContinue reading “On the ninth day of Christmas…”
On the eighth day of Christmas…
Possibly one of the more awkward moments in Christmas season is the feast of Jesus’ circumcision. If like me you grew up in the 90s and your view of circumcision has been somewhat influenced by Robin Hood: Men in Tights, that won’t help. But it’s historically a fact that Jesus, like all Jewish baby boysContinue reading “On the eighth day of Christmas…”
On the seventh day of Christmas…
Today is simply called the “First Sunday After Christmas”. Because Christmas Day roams throughout the days of the week from year to year, the first Sunday after Christmas could arrive anywhere between one and seven days after Christmas Day. In churches that observe this day, you may well hear this passage from Isaiah being read:Continue reading “On the seventh day of Christmas…”
On the sixth day of Christmas…
When I was in my first year of high school and attending the local Anglican church with my parents, my school principal led a Bible study during the service for the handful of teenagers there. At the end of the year, he presented each of us with a book and a card for Christmas. NearlyContinue reading “On the sixth day of Christmas…”
On the fifth day of Christmas…
The story of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury and assassinated in 1170 by King Henry II, seems altogether irrelevant to Christmas. And the fact that the church calendar remembers him today stems simply from him dying on December 29. But when we read the full Christmas narrative in Luke and Matthew’s gospels, there’s something fittingContinue reading “On the fifth day of Christmas…”
On the fourth day of Christmas…
We come now to a day that has understandably not remained in our public celebrations of Christmas, the day when we remember all the children who were killed at the command of Herod the Great. It is possibly the most painful day of the church year. As a father of young boys I almost can’tContinue reading “On the fourth day of Christmas…”
On the third day of Christmas…
Many people in churches this week will hear the stories read of those who first saw Jesus and knew that He was the saviour sent to earth. But what about those who knew Him on earth, walked with Him, saw Him die and rise again, then went on to live waiting for Him to return?Continue reading “On the third day of Christmas…”
The Consolations of Writing 