Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, & seven up…

1) The Revolution in the stable – Of course, we’re still in the ‘twelve days of Christmas’, but this article sees pastor Matthew Roberts pack in a lot of rich theology and show why ‘the Incarnation is for life not just for Christmas’.

2) Be mindful of your pastors – This perceptive Twitter thread from Andrew Roycroft is well worth a quick read and why not take a moment in the next few days to give thanks and thank your church leaders who are trying to help find the church’s way in the blizzard of COVID-19 craziness.

3) Books and Pods – Mark Meynell lays out his fave podcasts of 2021 here. Christianity Today’s 2022 Book Awards – Looking for a new read in the next week? Why not choose one of these? Also available is The Gospel Coalition’s awards here too.

4) Running a Narnia Trail – Ok, so you’re pooped after the Christmas craziness, but whilst everything still feels fresh, why not check out this as an idea for next year – from the amazingly creative and community-hearted Nay Dawson.

5) Bible Overview Print – Looking to spend some of the kids’ Christmas money? This is a good one for the wall!

6) Christians recognised for Covid efforts in New Year Honours list – Encouraging to see this.

7) Ben Rector – The Best Is Yet To Come – For something a bit different, Mr Rector is probably one of my fave new artists of the past couple of years. He wrote this song for the end of 2021, and as ever both the video and song is delightful. This version features an orchestra and a children’s choir, so bonus points. Enjoy…

Seven up…

1) Secular Christmas is a lie – Giles Fraser brilliantly reflects on the difference between the Christmas of Christianity and the ‘Christmas’ sold to us by our culture: “The difference is between optimism and hope. Optimism is generally fuelled by denial, a refusal to face the darkness. It’s a kind of holiday from reality. Hope, on the other hand, is a much more belligerent emotion. It stubbornly dwells in the darkness yet refuses to be beaten by it.” 

2) The Night Before Christmas – This new spoken word piece, filmed on location in Rome, is based on a chapter from Glen Scrivener’s new book, The Air We Breathe. Trigger warning: some of the sexual violence of ancient Rome is mentioned in this poem, as Glen makes plain the darkness that preceded the beautiful dawning of Christianity.

3) We are all Kevin McCallister – It was Die Hard last week, but this week Phil Knox helps us find the gospel in this Christmas classic.

4) Billie Eilish says watching porn from the age of 11 ‘destroyed my brain’ – The hugely popular and Grammy-award winning singer, 19, is remarkably honest here. Big respect to her for speaking out about this. This was picked up by Janice Turner in The Times here.

5) Joy to the world – Ruth Jackson reflects on her experience of miscarriage and the bigger question of suffering and the Christian faith – even in the midst of Christmas.

6) We need to preach the great story – Quite fascinating to read this in the Church Times. Angela Tilby makes the case that more Church of England preaching could do with seeing all of Scripture as one story – as exemplified by Nine Lessons and Carols services. Reminds me of something I wrote here: Why Our Attempts at Solving Biblical Illiteracy Must Move Beyond Telling More Bible Stories

7) In Our Time: A Christmas Carol – For something a bit different, Melvyn Bragg & guests discuss Charles Dickens’ novella, written in 1843 when he was 31, which has become intertwined with Dickens’ reputation and with Christmas itself.

And if you missed it…

Seven up…

1) Outrageous love in grief – This is stunning. Texas police officer Richard Houston was shot dead last week. This is his eighteen-year old daughter Shelby speaking at his funeral about how she views the suspect.

2) Christmas Talks: 6 Ways We’re Trying Too Hard – The Speak Life team – Glen Scrivener, Paul Feesey, and Nate Morgan Locke – get together to talk about the concerns of the evangelical church during the holiday season.

3) The gospel according to John McClane: Why Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas film – Shockingly this helped me realise that I don’t think I’ve ever seen DH1…

4) M&S Christmas Jumper – Lots of female clergy are wearing this Christmas ‘Believe’ jumper from M&S, but credit to Ruth Bushyager, Bishop of Horsham, who has taken the opportunity to unpack the gospel through the jumper in this brilliant 90 second video.

5) Young people are twice as likely to attend place of worship over Christmas – This new survey from Samaritan’s Purse suggests a third of UK adults aged 18-34 plan to attend a place of worship over Christmas, compared to 17% aged over 55.

6) The Night Song by City Alight feat. Colin Buchanan – From the collaborators behind the hugely popular Jesus, Strong and Kind, this is a beautiful song to be sung when night comes with all its fears, silence and doubts.

7) “Where is the Comma in God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” Supposed to Go? – For something a bit different, this is a seasonal guddun.

And if you missed it: