The End of One Chapter, the Beginning of Another (Part 2)

Greetings, dear readers!

I hope that this second part of my post finds you happy, healthy and not too harassed by the hectic nature of the festive season.

It wouldn't be a complete post from me if at least one of two things weren't included: a sports report or a book review. In this post I will do a bit of both.

As some of you might remember, I finished reading Julie Rose's English translation of Les Misérables in November. There is so much I would love to say about this literary masterpiece, but I will keep things short and simply say that to date, it has been the most intense reading experience of my life. For me, Les Misérables is a work that ranks second only to the Bible, and the difficult passages are worth persisting when you get to the last hundred or so pages. Somehow in those pages the quality and emotional power of the prose rises to greater and greater levels, all the way to the bittersweet ending.

Now for a brief sports report, focusing on the current Ashes series. Who would have thought that at the start of the tour the Australians would be going into the Boxing Day Test having already secured back the urn and - with the withdrawals of English stalwarts Jonathan Trott and Graeme Swann - be looking at a potential 5-0 clean sweep? Certainly not me, and I doubt I am alone. With the exception of the first day of the first Test in Brisbane and England's brief resistance in the last innings of the third Test in Perth, the cricket has gone Australia's way.

As another Christmas comes around, it doesn't hurt to be reminded what is and isn't important at Christmas. Last year I reminded readers that the word Christmas comes from a combination of the words "Christ" and "Mass". In case you aren't aware, a Mass is a church service which involves the Eucharist, also known as The Lord's Supper.

Tonight, in many churches in Australia and around the world, Christians will observe Midnight Mass as part of their Christmas celebrations. I will be taking part again as a chorister for Midnight Mass at St George's Anglican Church in Malvern, and would not be surprised if I am the only one of my peers who goes up to receive the Lord's Supper.

Of course, while not everyone will celebrate Mass, Christ must remain at the very centre of Christmas celebrations. It is a time to reflect on God's coming down to earth in human form in those passages of Holy Scripture:

• the prophecy of Isaiah; 
• Gabriel's visit to Mary;
• Christ's birth;
• the announcement to the shepherds, which for me contains much poignant symbolism since Jesus' legendary descendant King David was a shepherd, and Jesus would call himself the Good Shepherd;
• the journey and worship of the wise men from the east; and
• the cruelty of Herod, often overlooked because of its dreadful nature.    

In the commercialism of the season, with all the shopping for presents and the preparation, cooking and consumption of festive food, it is easy to overlook the role of Jesus Christ and have no room for him in our hearts, just like there was no room in the inn on the night of his birth.

I'm not saying that these things are bad; indeed, one of the indulgences I allow myself at Christmas is Lebkuchen, those delicious German baked goods which resemble gingerbread. I am simply sick of the whole commercial side of Christmas, because I have worked at Big W during the mad Christmas retail rush for the last five years, and hope that this year will be the final time.

This year's annual Carols concerts at St Paul's Cathedral were arguably the best ever, at least in my experience. We had a special surprise for our audience, bringing in members of the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band to perform "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Little Drummer Boy" with us. While bagpipes are certainly not everybody's cup of tea, they certainly contributed to the special atmosphere of the concerts.

This Christmas will be an especially memorable one for me, mainly because it will be the first one (hopefully of many) with my girlfriend Vanessa. Although Mum initially said no to letting Vanessa join us at our extended family Christmas lunch tomorrow, this was before she had met Vanessa. But now that she has, she has changed her mind, and that to me says a lot about the impression Vanessa has made on my mum. It was also God's roundabout answer to my prayer that she be able to join us!

I look forward to introducing her to my Dad and sister, as well as my cousins, trying some of her food for the first time (she's made a pasta salad and fruit cake!), and exchanging presents with her. Of course, I'm not telling here what I got for her. I'll share about that in my next post.

In this season, and indeed the coming year, may those of us who profess to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ be able to say, according to that great hymn:

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee. 

So I wish you all a safe and blessed Christmas. My next post will be my annual review.
Cheers and God bless!