The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
Upon them the light has dawned.

The prophet Isaiah speaks for a community scarred by the experiences of exile and separation. For the people of Israel, the exile represented an experience of great trauma. They struggled to hold on to the gift of hope and a promise of a new beginning. Living in a far and distant country, which seemed unfamiliar and sometimes hostile, they knew what it meant to live ‘in a land of deep darkness’.

These words resonate with us as we draw to the end of the Advent season. Finding ourselves in the depths of winter, with long nights and short days, we know what it means to walk in darkness. And if that were not enough, the uncertainty of the latest iteration of the pandemic - with all the disruption to our plans for the coming days which that may have brought – only serves to bring the full force of these words to bear. But the great mystics of the Christian tradition also speak of darkness as the place which always yields to the light. A few days ago, we remembered St John of the Cross, the sixteenth century Carmelite mystic, who spoke of the ‘dark night of the soul’. For him, the darkness was not simply a place of alienation where we could no longer feel the presence of God. Darkness is a place where our eyes became so accustomed to the dark that we are able to see where the cracks of light get in. We become more alert to God’s presence. We hear the angels sing.

This is the experience which Isaiah describes. Amidst the darkness, he can see the first intimations of that dawning light which declares God’s presence with us., Emmanuel. This is the mystery and miracle of Christmas. The light has dawned….

For to us a child is born and to us a son is given…
…and his name will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Happy Christmas!

The Revd Dr Will Lamb, Vicar

Christmas Services at St Mary’s

We look forward to seeing you at Christmas Services this year. No tickets are required this year but we ask that you pay attention to the following:

• Keep safe at home if you are showing any symptoms of Covid
• Please take a lateral flow test before attending services
• Please wear a face covering at all times within the church
• Please leave promptly at the end of the service
• Please wrap up warmly as we will be maximising ventilation within the building
• Please note that the side aisles (as well as the De Brome Chapel) will be reserved for socially-distanced seating

If we don’t see you over the Christmas period, you will be able to watch the livestream of Christmas Day here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjlm652_1ok&ab_channel=UniversityChurch