Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas! (Yes, I know that I usually say happy Christmas, but that is the tradition in the United States after all). We have had some beautiful liturgy and music this Christmas in spite of the pandemic. Thank you for your continued support of our beloved Church and Choir School; as we approach the year end, we are all so grateful for the many messages of goodwill and support, the increasing number of pledges and gifts received, and the large numbers of you that supported our concerts and our services in-person and online. Our community is becoming stronger and vibrant and our church, once again, is an oasis of prayer for all who are weary or searching.
Thank you to everyone who donated their time, talents, and energy to our Blessing of the Crèche service. What a joyful return to this annual tradition!
Numbers registering for the Pilgrims’ Course are growing; if you would like to know more about the Christian Faith, or want to become a member of Saint Thomas, or simply want a ‘refresher course,’ then Pilgrims is for you! In addition to learning about the scriptures, exploring theology, and learning about the sacramental life of our church, there is also an opportunity to learn about why we do things the way we do them. As I always say at the first session, ‘There is no such thing as a stupid question!’ Click here to find out more.
Christmas is a time for giving not simply because we want to show people how much we love or appreciate them, but because we want to reflect God’s love for us in sending his only son to be born of Mary, to make his home with us, and to redeem us. Bethlehem is not only the City of David, it is a city whose name means House of Bread. Jesus, the Bread of Life, was born in the House of Bread and continues to feed his people with his very self. It is always a poignant moment to elevate the host at the High Altar of Saint Thomas, for the celebrant cannot help but see the carving of Thomas with the Risen Lord exclaiming “My Lord and my God!”
In a similar way, the new Christmas Tree bought as a memorial gift for family members who died during the pandemic and placed near the pulpit, is also a poignant reminder of the fragility of the incarnation. I have sat in church and pondered the juxtaposition of the 9/11 memorial and the calvary next to that Christmas Tree. In some respects, it seems incongruous but, on further reflection one begins to understand more of the depth of meaning of the incarnation – the self-emptying of God into his creation. I am reminded of a beautiful altarpiece by the German artist, Father Sieger Köder in the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Rosenburg. The panels of the triptych move and there is, again, a juxtaposition of themes – one panel, of the Nativity, when opened covers a panel depicting the horror of a concentration camp during the Second World War. As you gaze at the beautiful scene of the nativity, it is a little while before you realize that there is something carved on the manger: the letters, INRI, which thirty years later, would be placed above the Lord’s Cross. No, the juxtaposition of the Calvary and the Christmas Tree is a good theologically orthodox reminder that Holy Week needs Christmas and Christmas needs Holy Week to tell the whole story.
Sieger Köder’s work was influenced by Chagall, using strong colours and chunky figures. His paintings are an earthy, yet spiritual interpretation of biblical themes. Köder’s painting is the visual expression of his priestly ministry.
Wherever you are this Christmas, I pray that you and your loved ones are truly blessed by the presence of the Christ child. As one of the great Anglican Christmas blessings puts it, “Christ, who by his incarnation gathered into one things earthly and heavenly, fill you with peace and goodwill and make you partakers of the divine nature.”
A very Happy Christmas to you all,
Your pastor and priest,
Carl
A poem by Malcolm Guite. Commenting on Milton’s great poem On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity, he writes “In this poem I have followed Milton’s lead in drawing a contrast between the various gods of the Classical world and the full and astonishing revelation of God’s love in the manger at Bethlehem.”
They sought to soar into the skies
Those classic gods of high renown
For lofty pride aspires to rise
But you came down.
You dropped down from the mountains sheer
Forsook the eagle for the dove
The other Gods demanded fear
But you gave love
Where chiselled marble seemed to freeze
Their abstract and perfected form
Compassion brought you to your knees
Your blood was warm
They called for blood in sacrifice
Their victims on an altar bled
When no one else could pay the price
You died instead
They towered above our mortal plain,
Dismissed this restless flesh with scorn,
Aloof from birth and death and pain,
But you were born.
Born to these burdens, borne by all
Born with us all ‘astride the grave’
Weak, to be with us when we fall,
And strong to save.
