December News from the 3B’s Churches

Christmas to me is always romantic. Yes the current Mrs Challis will be delighted to read this! And if you’re reading this, I hopefully will be romantic at other times of the year! What I mean by ‘romantic’ is in another sense. Perhaps the word nostalgic would be better. We remember the good times, the good Christmases, we often decorate the tree with the decorations that we purchased years ago and only ever see for two week in the year but they mean something to us of the past and the future. 

When Charles Dickens drew the first Christmas card with a snow season depicted upon it he had lived through seven consecutive white Christmases!  Christmas does have that sense of warmth and cosiness in our hearts as a special time and yet the climate is often warmer than our Christmas cards and calendars depict.

We have our traditions and our ways of celebrating the festival. A few years ago I asked the children in both the schools that I served what the meaning of Christmas was and boy was I ready for them! I knew they’d say Father Christmas, presents, trees, Turkey, chocolate, so when they said the birth of Jesus I was rather taken a back! A number of Christmases ago, the Challis family rushed around trying to do all that must be done and with a full diary for Christmas Eve it was busy. So eventually we curled up upon the sofa with the dogs walked, the fire alight, the Christmas tree decorated and sparkling and as evening fell we treated ourselves to a glass of Ginger wine.

Well actually I had two as Jenny was pregnant!  On the television was the domestic goddess herself teaching us all how she would cook and celebrate Christmas! We felt so warm, so relaxed, so happy, so absolutely thrown into a panic as Nigella pulled out of the oven a Turkey and we looked at each other and realised we had forgotten the Turkey! Christmas without a Turkey for me cannot be Christmas and as we made a dash out into streets in search of said beast it did make me wonder why we go to such lengths for this one day of the year. I imagine that each of us have our own ways of making Christmas special, traditions that if they were not in place it simply will not feel like Christmas.

Perhaps the nostalgic Christmas is something best left for the Christmas cards. Perhaps the romantic Christmas is something of the past for it does not share much with the birth of Christ, a man born to die to live again. Somewhere in amongst all the wrapping paper, pile of cards and piles of food is the true meaning of Christmas. A meaning that I am delighted our children know and understand, yet the true meaning of Christmas should still stop and make us adults think! The true meaning of Christmas does not stop us from celebrating and doing all those things we love to do, no far from it.

The saviour of the world came for us and then we wrap him and his message up in the so many different ways that sometimes we forget the true meaning of the season.  Christmas without the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection is pointless.   

This year in the parish of the 3B’s (Beeding, Bramber and Botolphs) we are holding our Travelling nativity. On 18th December at 5pm starting in St Peter’s Beeding we gather with a real donkey and real local people as actors and retell the Christmas story through the streets ending up at the Kings Head pub. And yes we will have a drink in the pub for good measure! It is a bit of fun but with a deep message and as per last year it will be a joint venture with our brothers and sisters from the Baptist Church.

On 19th at St Nicholas Bramber we will be holding 9 lessons and carols. This year will be a little different in that you the congregation will be asked to sing more carols and our own choir will lead us in some of the musical pieces. This all starts at 6pm and at 5pm on Christmas Eve at St Peter’s we will hold in church our Crib service. There is something quite special about holding a nativity on Christmas Eve even after the donkey has stamped on my foot and refused to enter the church! Last year the church was packed so attend early if you would like a seat and this year I shall do my best to stop the angels from fighting! All of these fun and games culminate in Midnight mass that starts at 11:30pm sharp at St Peter’s.

Ahh Christmas: romantic, nostalgic but Christ centred. 

The Reverend John Challis
Tel: 01903 810265
Parish Office: 01903 815850

Return To News Page