A Christmas message from the Dean of Peterborough

How shall we celebrate Christmas this year? We’re told that angels brought “glad tidings and news of great joy” to the shepherds that first Christmas day, but with war in Ukraine and the Middle East, worries over climate change and our own struggles with the cost of living, does the idea of a “merry little Christmas” sometimes ring a bit hollow?

When we sing our carols at the Cathedral are we just kidding ourselves and burying our heads in the sand? Of course, we aren’t. The fact is that the angel’s message of “Peace on earth, goodwill to all!” has never been more relevant. Because when we mark the birth of Jesus as Prince of Peace, we’re really committing ourselves to work for that peace in our own families, among our own friends and in our own communities.

Peterborough can rejoice, when we become a city where, whatever our faith, we learn to give thanks for the good things we enjoy, forgive each other our failings and look to each other’s needs. Peace begins in our own hearts and spreads from there. So, God rest ye merry everyone, and happy Christmas to one and all!