Christmas message from Reverend Anne Gilbert

Photo: Peter Fitchett

Reverend Anne Gilbert, Vicar of Rochdale Parish Churches

Christmas message from Reverend Anne Gilbert, Vicar of Rochdale Parish Churches:
St Chad’s, St Mary in the Baum, St Edmund’s, St Luke’s Deeplish and St Peter’s Newbold.

For this year’s Mayor’s Civic Carol Service on the 13th of December, I chose the poem Refugee by Malcolm Guite to be read, coincidentally the same poem has been chosen by King Charles.

“We think of him as safe beneath the steeple,
Or cosy in a crib beside the font,
But he is with a million displaced people
On the long road of weariness and want.
For even as we sing our final carol,
His family is up and on that road,
Fleeing the wrath of someone else’s quarrel,
Glancing behind and shouldering their load.
Whilst Herod rages still from his dark tower
Christ clings to Mary, fingers tightly curled,
The lambs are slaughtered by the men of power,
And death squads spread their curse across the world.
But every Herod dies, and comes alone
To stand before the Lamb upon the throne.”

This poem reminds us that one of Jesus’ first experiences as an infant was as a refugee when Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to protect him from Herod who wanted to kill him.

It brings home the message of the difficulty of that first Christmas, when Jesus was born to a mother who had no place to stay, in conditions that were difficult, and that in his first years his life was at risk and he relied on others for a place of safety.

I cannot imagine what that must be like, to leave everything behind and start again in another country. It is not just asylum seekers who are struggling I am also aware that there are many people who will find this winter difficult, with rising prices and the extreme cold we have just had.

With this in mind, I said that my hope for Christmas this year is that in this place all find hospitality, welcome and that through us, just as Jesus did in Egypt, here in Rochdale we can offer Refuge.

What I didn’t expect was for this to be demonstrated the next Saturday in Rochdale town centre. A man had fallen and dislocated or broken his elbow. Fr Darren and I stopped to see if we could help. The owner of the business had phoned the ambulance, and whilst we waited, he held an umbrella over him to protect him from the rain, two local shop owners appeared to help. The organiser of Street Eat came to support and brought up his First Aider, who negotiated with the emergency services to get a prompt response as we could not move the injured man out of the snow.

When Fr Darren and I went in search of something to keep him warm, Emmaus gave us a blanket and Caring and Sharing a quilt. As we walked back up to church for a wedding that had been booked, the ambulance had arrived and he was being cared for.

What had been demonstrated to me was that Rochdale people come together to support people in need. As I reflected on what had happened, I remembered that Jesus said, whatever you do for the least of these you did for me. That this Christmas season, through these people coming together to offer help and support, Jesus did find hospitality, welcome, and refuge.

It doesn’t matter what faith you are, or whether you have faith at all, we can all learn from the story of that first Christmas, and in the midst of all the clamour and pressure to spend, remember that the first Christmas was simple and humble, the real meaning of Christmas isn’t about eating, drinking and receiving gifts, it is about showing love and caring for others.

I wish you a joyful Christmas and a blessed new year.

Revd Anne Gilbert