Father Gary Waddington: At the heart of Christmas, the reason for all our usual seasonal jollity, is the birth of a child

Christmas is still on! I’m regretfully old enough to remember Dallas as a child. Southfork ranch, Miss Ellie, Sue Ellen and of course JR being shot.
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Christmas is still on! I’m regretfully old enough to remember Dallas as a child. Southfork ranch, Miss Ellie, Sue Ellen and of course JR being shot.

Most of the ludicrous plots are long forgotten. What sticks in my mind was when Bobby Ewing, who had died in the previous series, stepped out of the shower at the start of the next.

Father Gary Waddington of St Wilfrid Church, Harrogate.Father Gary Waddington of St Wilfrid Church, Harrogate.
Father Gary Waddington of St Wilfrid Church, Harrogate.
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It turned out the previous year had all “been a dream”. How we laughed.

Perhaps this year, many of us wish we could step out of the shower and 2020 be little more than a fading dream.

The reality is, for many, it has been a nightmare. The coronavirus pandemic has meant dramatic changes to all our lives.

Sadly, for some, that life has come to an end. For others, long term effects of illness are still felt. Businesses have struggled or gone under.

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We might all feel like the Christmas we had expected has been cancelled. But I wonder if that’s the case, if we’re looking at it the wrong way round?

At the heart of Christmas, the reason for all our usual seasonal jollity, is the birth of a child.

That’s easily forgotten or overlooked in the rush to office parties and manic present wrapping. That child, born in a stable in Bethlehem has a tectonic effect on human existence.

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The Son of God appears in human flesh - and Jesus in his life makes us an astonishing offer: death is not the end. He teaches us that because of this how we live and, why we live, is important, has meaning and offers hope. Real hope is born in truth, lives in service and grows in love.

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It isn’t about vain fantasy, a shorthand for “but what I want...”

Real hope is powerful in that it confronts the harsh realities of human life and gives us the courage to face them, rather than constructing a lie, a conspiracy or a delusion of our own imagination.

For us all, this Christmas might not be the one we imagined - but it might yet be the most ‘real’ Christmas we’ve had in years.

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One which reminds us of eternal truths. For isn’t the truth that despite the awfulness of so much of this year, we’ve also seen glimpses and reminders of what we can be at our best as individuals and a society?

From NHS and care home staff to local neighbourhood groups; from campaigns to feed hungry children to those who seek to root out racism; from scientists in labs creating vaccines to a society prepared to pull together to keep each other safe.

Hope, it seems, isn’t dead. Perhaps that’s a re-discovery we all need this Christmas.

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The child in a manger, born in a time of strife stands as always as a light in the darkness. And nothing can overcome it.

May we know that light and peace of the Christ child this Christmas.

God bless you all.

Father Gary Waddington

St Wilfrid Church, Harrogate

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