Each year Radio Three runs a Christmas Carol Competition. Lest anyone think that this is a minority interest, over 600 entries were received this year.  The link to the six finalists and the poem that had to be set is here.

The poem this year to inspire the music was by Imtiaz Dharker a poet born in Pakistan but brought up in Glasgow.  She describes herself as a Scottish Muslim Calvinist which is quite an interesting thought.  ‘Go to the child’ is a poem which talks of the Christmas story and has this verse at its heart.

See in the eyes a blazing star, a spark of something newly born, feet already walking on air, holding a lifeline in the palm

For me one of the best things about Christmas are the carols which are beautifully sung in many of our churches and heard on the Radio.  A great favourite for me is the Service from Kings College Cambridge on Christmas Eve. Stephen Cleobury who retired from the post as Director of Music at Kings earlier this year sadly died in November and he will be greatly missed. However the tradition will go on and the services is heard by millions of people all around the world each year.

The Service of Lessons and Carols recounts the Christmas story and is as popular as ever.  Many of the carols however are modern. As the competition this year shows many musicians both amateur and professional are inspired by a message which has been told and retold over thousands of years; and yet it is a message which can be expressed in new and living ways. To me this really is the magic of Christmas which is then combined with the wonder in the eyes of my grandchildren and millions of children all around the world as the day approaches. Aidan aged six has already designed a number of new imaginative Santa sleighs and stables in some colourful drawings.

The winner of the Radio Three competition this year is Chris Hart, a doctor working in the NHS in Wetherby who was interviewed on the Radio on Friday morning.  Besides being amazed to win, he told us that he is on duty on Boxing Day and beyond serving his patients. He is one of many dedicated public servants who will be on duty during the Christmas season.  We are grateful for the work they do all hours of the day and night and throughout the year. Our National Health Service is a wonderful asset to our nation and it does seem there is resolve to ensure it is able to go on providing a universally excellent service to our citizens.

But back to Christmas; the wonder of Christmas really comes to life through the story of the birth of a child magnified through the excitement of our own children.  New life and the inspiration that brings, continues to bring hope to the human race.  This is not just hope for Christians but for people of all faiths and none.

So as we approach this season and the New Year, ‘Go to the Child’ is not a bad thought and we can all take it to heart as we withdraw for a little while from the helter-skelter of life, at least when Christmas Day is past.

Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Jackson Lees Group!