Christmas Message from the President of the Methodist Conference
The President of the British Methodist Conference, The Revd TomStuckey, has this message for Christmas 2005:
'At Christmas, some of us will be bellowing out the hymn 'As withgladness men of old, did the guiding star behold.' Maybe beforeChristmas we should be singing Janet Lees' parody:-
As with madness we prepare,
For this festive time of year,
As we rush and count the days,
Advent passes in a haze,
So may our feet take us to
Places where we will meet you.
For years consumerism has threatened Christmas. Yet I detect agrowing disquiet with the secular agenda which rides on the back ofthe Christmas donkey, shoving off the Virgin Mary who gets trampledto death in the Christmas razamatazz:-
As with madness we keep on
Trying to ignore your Son,
Timely God now takes a risk,
Bawling babe now shakes a fist,
So may each of us now see
Christ has come to set us free.
Dare we free ourselves? Some of us are starting to! Instead ofbuying presents for family members, we are sending each other sheepand goats with the animals going, I should add, to help farmers inAfrica. Some churches are sending hospital wards and equippingsurgeries.
At home forget the Santas and flashing lights and build a cribscene. Through the cards you make or buy and the letters you send,become much bolder in affirming the Christian message. Tell peoplewhat God has personally done for you personally. We can encouragetrips to see the new Chronicles of Narnia film and use it as ameans of evangelism.
Now is the time to talk of God. We have outlets in the communitythat superstores would give their back teeth for. Make your churchbright with the light of Christ. Reduce the spending; increase thesharing; spurn the madness and embrace the gladness. Christ hascome to set us free.'
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