Calm and Bright – Christmas 2024

As I write this article in mid November we have had a prolonged period of calm and largely dry weather. It’s also been incredibly dull as a blanket of cloud has resulted in the country getting less than half an hour of sunlight in an 11 day period. Calm but not so bright. When the sunshine did break thorough briefly a couple of days ago it was like seeing an old friend again.

We’ve had more moonlight than direct sunlight recently, and I suspect that it is moonlight that the carol ‘Silent Night’ refers to.

Silent Night, Holy Night,

All is calm, all is bright,

Round yon virgin, mother and child,

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace

Ah yes, the Victorians loved a well behaved baby, didn’t they? The perfect baby Jesus who never uttered a peep until he could speak  – because apparently crying is a sin, or perhaps implies that the Blessed Virgin has failed to be attentive in some way. I’m not quite sure how Jesus communicated the usual needs of a baby with his mother if he didn’t cry at some point. It’s just how babies are! And don’t even get me started on the lyrics of ‘Away in a Manger’…

The important bit though is the presence of the infant Jesus. God incarnate, come to earth to experience life through our eyes. Come to bridge the gap between heaven and earth so that all might be calm and all might be bright.

In the words of McFly, and the song I usually open my Nativity services with: 

‘It’s All About You Baby’

Merry Christmas!

Steve.