Dear friends,

‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light’: these ancient words from the biblical book of Isaiah speak to us in a new way this Christmas.  It’s been a tough year and we need some light, some cheer, some good news.    And as 2020 draws to a close, at least we have a vaccine; indeed, several vaccines, and we can hope for a return to some kind of normality.

But as many have suggested, perhaps we don’t want everything to go back to the way it was.   After all, surely, we’ve learnt something this year about the kind of society we really want, not least about the priority of kindness, and justice.   

And at Christmas we celebrate a whole new beginning in God’s relations with the human race; the fulfilment of all those biblical dreams and longings for light in the darkness, and for God to do something radically new.  In the Christmas story, we hear how the shepherds sensed this new beginning, and visiting a humble stable, saw the glory of God in the face of a new-born child.

This baby grew up with his family in Nazareth, and as an adult he introduced his followers to a radically new way of life: to love even their enemies, to forgive without limit, to open their hearts to the neediest, to be courageous in the cause of justice and peace, and to discover life in all its fullness. I’d love to see a world in which we all lived like that, rather than simply going back to ‘normal’; in which we play our part in bringing light to dark places – not least in ensuring that every part of the world, including the poorest, receives that vaccine.   

In whatever way you are able to celebrate it, I wish you a very happy Christmas.   

Anthony Cane
Dean of Portsmouth