Away with comments on UK politics and the state of the euro! Let me tell you an encouraging Christmas tale.
In recent years our occasional church choir has become decidedly decent. It is made up of ordinary folk with a sprinkling of true talent and is trained with transatlantic enthusiasm by Steve, the choirmaster, each Sunday tea-time during the run-up to events.
Being near the town centre we usually sing carols to the shoppers on the Saturday before Christmas as they flow past the back of our chapel building to and from the multi-storey car park. As we were thus singing on one such cold morning in 2009, and offering hot punch and mince pies to the passers-by, a man stopped to listen. He later approached us and said: ‘This is rather good. I’m one of the managers at the House of Fraser department store. Would you consider coming to sing in the store next Christmas?’ Contact details were exchanged. Later communications clarified that they were happy that if the choir sang we could give out some Christmas invitations. Details were finalised.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …