Christmas puddings, ‘tasteless’ seasonal jumpers, Boxing Day chutney and unwanted gifts feature in an unusual new guide to the festive season, produced by the Church of England.
The ‘Twelve Joys of Christmas’ looks at aspects of the season that it says, “we’re probably not meant to talk about in church.”
The series of meditations sets out to answer the question ‘Where do I find joy at Christmas?’ The answer is given by author Nick Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury – one of England’s most beautiful and historic cathedrals.
He writes that the joy of Christmas is found in the “good news of the birth of Jesus, in the worship offered to God, in the carols and in the readings.”
But he adds that the joy is also found “in the other stuff. The stuff we’re probably not meant to talk about in church. The Christmas tree. The presents. The food. The trips and the treats. I look forward to them. I love them. They give me joy.”
The daily meditations, each with a scripture verse, a question and a prayer, are focused on aspects of the seasonal story, often overlooked by other nativity guides.
Papadopulos explains, “At Christmas, we celebrate the divine becoming visible in the earthly. Isn’t it just possible that in this other stuff – this decidedly earthly stuff – we catch a glimpse of the divine? I believe that it is.”
The guide, produced by Church House Publishing, looks at Christmas pudding, describing the seasonal dessert as “an act of faith,” because the puddings are often made a year in advance. “None of us knows what the next day will bring, let alone the next twelve months,” says Papadopulos, pointing out that at Christmas “the timeless one enters time – and so time itself is redeemed.”
Novelty Christmas jumpers – a popular feature of British Christmases – are described as ‘tasteless.’ But, says Papadopulos, “God is tasteless too. That’s actually the heart of the Good News.” God does not discriminate or exclude, he writes, “So wear that jumper with pride. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
The CofE guide also looks at Christmas crackers and the paper crowns inside them, Boxing day chutney, pantomimes, a bracing new year’s walk – and taking unwanted gifts to a charity shop on the final, twelfth day of the meditations.
Papadopulos writes, “History does not record what happened to the gifts brought by the Magi. On the face of it, gold, frankincense and myrrh were not obvious presents for a baby born to a carpenter’s family many miles from home. It seems unlikely that Jesus ever found a use for them.”
The gifts, he explains, were “prophetic symbols proclaiming Jesus’s identity as king, as priest and as sacrificial offering. The Magi see something in the birth of Jesus that no one else sees.”
CofE churches are being encouraged to give away the guide at carol services during Advent and Christmas, and invite visitors to join in regular worship, to explore the Bible and build prayer into their rhythm of life.
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
