The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby today told the elderly not to go to church on Christmas Day as he warned it is ‘too dangerous’.
Places of worship will remain open across the nation over the festive period, even in Tier 4 areas of England which are subject to the toughest coronavirus restrictions.
I’m not one running around trying to damn his memory,” he said, adding, “In a democracy, we Christians have got a right, and indeed an obligation, to struggle to maintain Christian values in life, because the moment they start to disappear, notions like truth and reason and free speech” also go away. “On the whole I think Trump has made a positive contribution to the Christian cause.”
But today I am old enough and have lived in the church long enough to realize that the key to being content is not hard work, nor wealth, nor liturgies, nor the gear that comes with titles – nor titles at all. No, really the way to achieve contentment is to lower one’s standards. I mean, not too terribly low. Just low enough to stave off perpetual exhaustion and ecclesial tantrums.
“But we, too, are called. We are in our own dyad with the angel spirit who is the messenger from God. No matter how simple or ordinary we think we are, no matter how unsuited for a heavenly plan, there is an angel waiting.”
these weeks before christmas
we say we are waiting
for the light
to be born into the world,
for the first cry,
the infant sigh.
but mornings like this I think
the light is already here.
we are waiting til we’re ready
to open our eyes.