An African Christmas

By Rev. Martyn Snow

This time two years ago, I was preparing to celebrate Christmas in Africa. It was without doubt the most beautiful Christmas I’ve ever enjoyed. No fights with crowds at the shops, no boring films on TV, no stress, just simple pleasures. 

A few friends sat under a mango tree, enjoying a meal of rice and chicken washed down with local beer. The conversation turned to an ancient story. A teenage girl found to be pregnant. A visit from an angel (nothing strange about that for my African friends). A birth in the squalor of the goat enclosure (was there really no one in the village who could give them a bed?) A visit from the medicine men from far away. Running away as refugees – the local war lord wanted the family killed. 

The words of a prophet: “this child will be a sign … so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” It’s amazing how real a story can be when retold from a new perspective and connected to our own personal story. I’m hoping that as I celebrate my first Christmas as vicar of Christ Church, Pitsmoor, I can once again free myself to hear the story afresh and be filled with wonder at this Jesus whose birth changed the world.