The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
 You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;

Isaiah 9:2-3a

How to describe “Boxing Day?” Traditionally, the day after Christmas Day was all about leftovers. That meant cold meats from the day before, served with hot baked potatoes and all manner of British pickles, followed by yummy desserts covered in hot yellow custard. It also meant “boxing” up some of the excess and sharing with those less fortunate. Hence the name.

In our family, Boxing Day always meant doing our best to get together and “Get our British on”! While we couldn’t always get away in time to be with my parents for Christmas Day itself, somehow we almost always managed – including my brother Geoff and his daughter Hannah’s family too – to make it to mum and dad’s for the 26th.

This is my first Christmas without a parent, and I think it’s going to be the holiday where my mum and dad’s absence is most apparent. So thanks, Naomi and Craig, for carrying on the tradition and hosting your interpretation of this important feast.

Naomi is pretty much a table setting genius, and Craig worked hard preparing the food.

As for me and Rebekah, we played with the grandchildren all day. They really are a beautiful crew. And there is so much noise; noise, and drama; and more noise.

The Christmas season is this interesting mixture of spiritual truth and material excess. Our faith is all about generosity, and the birth of Jesus absolutely calls for celebration; but it is about sacrifice too, and most of all about what God has done – and intends to do – both for us and through us.

But if we take away the spiritual, set aside adoration of the newborn king, and forget the greatest story ever told (the greatest story still being told); if we take away setting all else aside to worship God in spirit and in truth; if we take away the context of Jesus… then what we are left with is consumerism, and emptiness, and shallow greed, and – too easily – bitter disappointment.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (And) of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.

Isaiah 9:6-7a