14th December 2025
Advent 3: Joy
There has been much made in the media of a carol service being organised by Tommy Robinson in London this coming Saturday. Its stated purpose is "to put Christ back into Christmas", but the undertones of the event are more sinister. The Bishop of Kirkstall, Bishop Arun Arora, has warned against "populist forces seeking to exploit the faith for their own ends", and an old friend of mine has written an excellent blog post uncovering some of the thinking behind the public statements (here).
In Luke's account, the angels announce the birth of Jesus as "good news of great joy for all people". If we seek to "put Christ in Christmas", we must start where he does - by listening to that message: "good news of great joy for all people". There is no exemption, no exclusion. This good news cuts across all the human-created divisions of race, nationality, class, ability... it is "good news of great joy for all people". Furthermore, the message of good news is delivered not to kings, not to religious leaders, not to politicians, but to shepherds - figures who were despised in their own culture, forced to live on the margins of acceptable society. Those despised shepherds, still with the sheep poo on their sandals (to the great joy of the children at Alexandra Infants who learnt that from the Bible Society video of the Christmas story this week!) are the first to visit the baby Jesus, the first to encounter the Saviour. And they are filled with joy, which they then share with all the people they encounter on their return.
The Christmas message is "good news of great joy for all", or it is not good news at all. I want to state really clearly that, at HTSJ, all are welcome. Our strength is in our diversity - in people of different backgrounds and nationalities, different circumstances and life experiences, coming together to worship the God who loves us so much that he gave his one and only Son. On Saturday evening, we will be celebrating the Community Nativity with the very diverse community of Penge. We will be celebrating outside the Crooked Billet pub (from where, memorably, the shepherds had to be dragged out during the first ever performance). And all are welcome to what is bound to be an evening of great joy, especially those who may well feel nervous and anxious about the events in London.
The shepherd's fears were turned to joy when they encountered the infant Jesus. And joy is perhaps our greatest weapon against the hate that certain forces seek to spread. It's been said that oppressors hate joy. They can't understand it and, because they can't understand it, they do their best to snuff it out. And so joy itself becomes an act of resistance - a sign that we will not give in to those forces that seek to undermine and divide us.
Whoever you are, you are welcome to share the joy of Christmas with us. Joy for all... or joy not at all.
