In 1999 at this time of the year Mike and I were in the Holy Land preparing for the Archbishop’s pilgrimage that was to take place to mark the Millennium. There were surreal moments –like counting the inflatable Father Christmases in the shops on the Via Dolorosa, the way pilgrims remember Jesus carrying the cross on the way to Golgotha. But there were also disturbing moments. We got caught up in a standoff between Palestinian youths in a half built tower block as they threw stones at members of the Israeli defence force - young men too and not much older.

The terrible scenes of our TV screen of the unfolding tragedy in Gaza that followed the horrors of the Hamas incursion made us think of the Israeli and Palestinian guides and bus drivers who worked alongside us and each other during the pilgrimage and modelled how life could be, signs of hope.

Also, we cannot forget the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine which feels very close to home with local families from the war zone displaced by the conflict living locally.

But when we were in Israel all those years ago it was also the Jewish celebration of Hanukah or the Festival of Light. The nine branched candlestick, the Menorah, is used. The middle candle is lit and over the course of the eight days of the festival the other candles are lit from the one candle. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. But with the festivities

and special food it is a festival of hope, of light overcoming darkness. In November Hindu’s and Sikh’s have the festival of Diwali which is also a time of celebration when good conquers evil and light overcomes darkness. In our Christmas celebrations we have the lighting of the Christingles celebrating the coming of Jesus as the light of the world.

We can sometimes forget in all the lovely tinsel clad fun of Christmas that Jesus came to earth during a time of occupation with the Romans in Jerusalem and life being really difficult for many people, and that he was born in poverty in a stable after a long journey so the his family could be counted in the census. But the heart of the Christmas message is that God comes alongside us to share our struggles but also to give each of us the courage to live a braver, more courageous life that seeks to make a difference. Whatever our faith or belief the Christmas story, the Hanukah candles and the lights of Diwali challenge us to bring light as a New Year begins, to love and as Ghandi said, “to be the change we want to see in the world”. We can have hope even as we look at places of conflict but we all have our part to play in building a more inclusive, compassionate and light filled world.

Love Linda x