A Pastoral Letter

Christmas Letter 2024

Greetings for this Advent and Christmas season!

All the Light we Cannot See is a 2014 novel written by Anthony Doerr set in the French town of St Malo during the second world war. It tells a story of resistance, the miracle of radio and the capacity we share for both love and violence. It centres on Marie Laure LeBlanc a blind French girl whose remarkable story finds her broadcasting messages to the Allies, messages that become crucial to the town’s liberation. The story also includes several other significant characters, particularly older people. There is a group of older ladies, who pretend to meet to knit and gossip, yet in plain view, orchestrate resistance activities, send messages, monitor the ships in the harbour and navigate change. Often this comes at a cost, sometimes they are caught, but they keep going anyway in the valiant hope of creating a different world for the generations to come.

They make me think about the characters of the Christmas story. People sometimes say that Christmas celebrations are mainly for the children, but I don’t’ believe that is true. There are more older people involved in the Christmas story than those who are young. Jesus is a baby and Mary was probably a teenager, and we mustn’t forget the terrible massacre of the innocents, but beyond these most people are more mature in years.

There is Elizabeth and Zechariah who have longed for a child for decades. When Zechariah is told by the angel, he will have a son he is so incredulous that he is struck dumb until John arrives. Elizabeth becomes pregnant, and when she is six months gone, she welcomes Mary into her home and takes care of her until she can return.

There is Joseph, older than Mary, Joseph who is ready to cast her off but after divine intervention faithfully stands by her, cares for her and the baby Jesus, despite inevitable scorn and isolation.

There are the shepherds, those who care for the sheep in the dark and cold of the night, facing off danger, and although we talk of shepherd boys, and dress our children in head dresses they were unlikely to be children.

There is Anna and Simeon who wait, expectantly and hopefully for the child who is to come to bring hope and transformation into the world. When they finally meet Jesus, they know their waiting has not been in vain, their dreams are realised and hope is come.

Then there are the Magi, the ones who visit from faraway places, navigating by star light and very likely to be wise older people.

Faithful characters, all older, all changed forever by the birth of Jesus, all pointing towards a different future, a world transformed for all the generations to come. They stand at the threshold of Christmas and encourage us; in our prayers, our attitude, our actions and in our living, to build a different world and to hold onto defiant hope.

This year the Methodist Church is encouraging us to ‘Hush the Noise’ and to reflect on the hymn ‘It came upon a Midnight Clear’ written by Edmund Sears (1849). He was writing at a time of war and conflict and, reflecting on the coming of Jesus, urged his time and context to stillness and to peace. We might say that we live in a similar world right now.

Jesus comes to bring us light and hope, even when the world feels shrouded in darkness. Older people help to bring him to birth, often they have waited but they are the midwives of change. Let’s not forget what a difference they made and continue to make in our churches and communities today.

May we hear the angels sing for us all this Christmas, however old or young we are.

Thank you for your support and on-going warm welcome to us.

With every blessing,

Helen

Helen Hollands

District Chair