At the end of last month when we gathered outside the Town Hall in Tavistock for the switching on of the Trees of Light. We counted down but it seemed that the power supply wasn’t working properly and, come the moment, only one of the trees lit up – and then it went off! After a few moments two came on and promptly went off again. At that moment I was glad that I hadn’t decided to start with those words from John’s Gospel, ‘the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it’! Thankfully, it all settled down

Like those flickering lights, the Christmas themes of peace and joy, light and love can sometimes seem intermittent when we look around us at the state of the world. Whether our thoughts go to the personal difficulties and sadnesses in our own lives, or to rising living costs and to wages falling behind mortgage payments, or to the people of the Ukraine, facing a central European winter with more than half of their energy network destroyed, such things can seem like wishful thinking.

But the lights that shine from our Christmas trees and in the windows of our homes remind us that Jesus said he is the Light of the World (John 8.12), the light that shines no matter how dark things get, the light which the darkness can neither comprehend nor extinguish, even when it thought it had done its worst on Good Friday.

So, this Christmas why not light a candle, take a few minutes to bask in its flickering glow and be reminded that God loved you so much that he dared to come into our world in the form of a helpless baby, making himself utterly vulnerable, to show us that we don’t have to do anything to earn His love, it is freely offered – and invite that light into your heart.

And may God fill your hearts and homes with joy, kindness, peace, gentleness and hope this Christmas.

Father Matt (Vicar)