Letter from the Vicarage

December 2007 — January 2008

Dear Friends

Apparently this Christmas around ten million turkeys, twenty–five million Christmas puddings, two hundred and fifty million pints of beer and thirty–five million bottles of wine will be bought in the United Kingdom! We will spend around twenty billion pounds over the festive season and nearly two billion on food alone. The figures are extraordinary, especially when you consider that apparently we normally throw away 19% of the food we buy.

I had the privilege of spending the last part of November in Sierra Leone and Guinea. The contrast between our excess and the poverty of these countries is shocking. In both countries infant mortality is high and the average life span less than forty years. It seems a world away from our parties and celebrations, and yet it is just a six hour flight from Gatwick.

Christmas reminds us that God entered this suffering world, not in the comfort or splendour of a royal palace, but in the poverty of a stable. He was not a stranger to suffering or hardship and throughout his life he identified himself with the poor, the marginalized and outcasts. How strange then that the celebration of his birth should now be characterised by so much extravagant waste.

Please don’t think I am being a killjoy! I love the festive season, the parties, the time spent with family, the fun of it all. However, a bit of restraint is no bad thing. Do we really need to spend as much as we do? Could we perhaps manage with a little less of everything? Are there other things we could spend our money on that will last longer than the Christmas turkey? For example, I am giving my brother (who has spent thousands on his garden recently) two thousand saplings to be planted in Uganda from the Christian Aid Catalogue. He would probably prefer something else, but then like most of us in reality he has everything he needs!

Maybe this Christmas you could try and celebrate the birth of Christ in a joyful but restrained way. Why not consider giving a gift that will make a lasting difference to poor communities like the ones I visited in Sierra Leone and Guinea? Through Christian Aid you can send a cow, or a goat or a beehive or even a can of worms! These gifts will not be wasted and really do reflect the true meaning of Christmas.

I hope and pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful New Year. You are most welcome to attend any of our services.

In Christ.

Mark

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