European church news: questionable conversions to Christianity from 2016 to 2021

Over the past 20 years, clandestine migrants to Europe have not been strangers to converting to Christianity.

The same holds true in the United Kingdom, which I will get to in a moment.

Recent history

In 2005, a few British tabloids ran several front page articles on marriages of convenience between Britons and non-EU migrants. In 2016, I wrote about that phenomenon and what happened in the years that followed. Our courts ruled that the Church of England had special privileges, therefore, a Home Office Certificate of Approval was not required for this kind of wedding in an Anglican church. By 2008, it was estimated that the number of bogus weddings had increased by 400 per cent. London’s Diocese of Southwark found that applications for migrant-Briton wedding ceremonies rose from 90 in 2004 to 493 in 2015.

That same post then discussed the numbers of migrant conversions going on in the Lutheran Church in Germany with few questions asked. However, Catholic bishops in Austria took a dim view of migrants seeking to convert. In the Archdiocese of Vienna, priests were encouraged to interview potential converts during their year of spiritual and catechetical preparation prior to baptism. The Archdiocese’s figures showed that between 5 and 10 per cent of candidates dropped out afterwards. That was back in 2016.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, I wrote (emphases mine):

In England, however, Anglican clergy are eager to not only ask no questions but to combine the conversion process with helping to ease the refugee application process.

The Guardian interviewed the Revd Mohammad Eghtedarian, an Iranian refugee and convert who was later ordained. He is a curate at Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral. Eghtedarian says that refugee status and religious affiliation are intertwined.

Liverpool Cathedral has a process which involves registering refugee attendance, which helps their asylum applications. A candidate for Baptism must attend the five preparatory classes. A baptised refugee seeking Confirmation must attend a dozen courses.

Hmm. It sounds very minimal.

The Guardian asked Eghtedarian about the sincerity of those candidates. Even he acknowledged that ‘plenty of people’ were converting for convenience!

In large part, only a cursory examination exists. The Cathedral will also provide a ‘letter of attendance’ to immigration authorities, if requested.

The article said that the Church of England does not record conversions, regardless of background, because it could be a ‘sensitive’ issue.

It seems the Austrian Catholic bishops have approached the conversions of convenience issue more sensibly than the German Lutherans, who resent that immigration court judges ask refugees to discuss their newly-found beliefs in detail in order to assess their sincerity.

It is the responsibility of clergy to do a thorough examination of heart and mind during the conversion process rather than let false converts through the doors for Baptism and Confirmation.

2021 Liverpool hospital bomber, a high-profile convert

On Remembrance Sunday 2021, Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen, a Jordanian who failed to have his request for asylum granted, set off a bomb at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

Interestingly, he was a convert to Christianity, a process he went through at Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral.

On the day, he jumped into a taxi and asked to be taken to Liverpool Cathedral, where the Remembrance Sunday parade ended. However, with so many road closures, the taxi could not get through, so Al-Swealmeen asked the driver, Dave Perry, to take him to the hospital instead.

Perry got Al-Swealmeen to the hospital entrance three minutes before 11 a.m., at which time Liverpudlians, along with the rest of the nation, observed a two-minute silence.

A bomb went off in the taxi. Dave Perry, thankfully, was able to escape — in six seconds. Al-Swealmeen died in the blaze. Fortunately, no one at the hospital, which, given its name, has a maternity unit, was harmed.

Police arrived at the scene at 11:04.

The Sun carried a report on the incident on November 14, excerpted below:

Brave Dave Perry leapt from the car and locked the doors as the device exploded at Liverpool Women’s Hospital yesterday – killing only the male passenger who carried the bomb.

Last night, David was stable in hospital with burns and shrapnel injuries, including damage to his ear.

Cops believe the device was a homemade bomb, “built by the passenger” who died, head of North West terror policing Russ Jackson said …

… cabbie Kev Cuthbertson posted: “It’s my mate who got blown up. He’s in a bad, bad way.

“He’s a fellow driver on delta. He’s had his ear sewn back on, got burns and shrapnel wounds and other pretty serious injuries. He is a hero. When he noticed the bomb, he locked the scumbag in the car. But took the brunt of the blast.”

Last night, an online fundraising page was set up to help David.

The organiser wrote: “His quick-thinking possibly saved a lot of lives.”

The car blew up in Liverpool at 10.59am, killing its “suspicious-looking” passenger as the country prepared to mark the Fallen at 11am.

Pals of the injured taxi driver, who was in a stable condition last night, said he acted courageously to thwart a bombing of the hospital, where 30 babies are born each day.

Three men aged 21, 26 and 29 were later arrested elsewhere in the city under the Terrorism Act.

Police in the region confirmed they were treating the incident as a terror incident.

The blast occurred close to the ­Liverpool Cathedral which was hosting one of the country’s largest Remembrance Sunday services with more than 2,000 people. It is less than a mile from the hospital.

One source said Mr Perry grew suspicious after the passenger asked him to drive to the cathedral but then changed his mind …

The following day, November 15, The Sun told us more about Al-Swealmeen, who also went by the name Enzo Almeni:

POPPY Day bomber Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen struck after his asylum bids were repeatedly turned down, it emerged last night.

The Jordanian, 32, also had mental health problems and was once arrested with a knife.

He blew himself up in a taxi at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Cabbie David Perry, 43, survived by a “miracle”.

Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen, who had no known connections with any terrorist groups, blew himself to bits with a home-made ball-bearing device …

It remained unclear when exactly the bomber entered the UK but it was understood he had been in a long-term dispute with the Home Office over his application for UK residential status.

And he had not been granted leave to remain here permanently.

A source said: “One of the issues being looked at is whether this unresolved grievance pushed him over the edge and prompted him to carry out the attack.”

Here’s the conversion bit. Don’t miss the photo of the chap who took him in:

Following his arrival in the UK, Al-Swealmeen lived mostly in Liverpool, where he was supported by Christian ­volunteers from a network of churches helping asylum seekers.

According to friends, he earlier spent a large part of his life in Iraq, where his mother came from.

It was claimed that Al-Swealmeen had told friends he came from Syria — but The Sun understands he was a Jordanian national.

It was also claimed that motor-racing enthusiast Al-Swealmeen had changed his first name to Enzo in honour of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari — and to sound less Muslim in a bid to help his asylum ­application.

He was also said to have converted to Christianity at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral in 2017.

Al-Swealmeen spent eight months living with devoted Christians Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchott at their home in the Aigburth district of Liverpool.

Former solider Mr Hitchott said: “He first came to the cathedral in August 2015 and wanted to convert to Christianity.

“He took an Alpha Course, which explains the Christian faith, and completed it in November of that year.

“That enabled him to come to an informed decision and he changed from Islam to Christianity and was confirmed as a Christian just before he came to live with us.

“He was destitute at that time and we took him in. The UK asylum people were never convinced he was Syrian and he was refused asylum in 2014.

“He had his case rejected because he has been sectioned due to some mental health incident where he was waving a knife at people from an overpass.”

Mr Hitchott explained: “He was going to put in a fresh asylum claim. Once he had done that, it was possible for him to be housed again by the Home Office and get £35 a week.

“He didn’t want to stay here any more. So he could get the accommodation, I gave him notice to leave. He never talked about Islam, terrorism, nothing.”

Mrs Hitchott said: “I bumped into him in a street, he was doing cake decoration at an educational class, a formal course somewhere, he was very enthusiastic. He showed me the designs he had done and what he was hoping to do in an upcoming exam. He was quite artistic.

“I gave him a sketchbook and pencils. He drew hills, flowers, everything around him.”

The couple said he loved motor racing and would often do go-karting at Brunswick in Liverpool.

The bomb factory where Al-Swealmeen constructed his deadly ball bearing device was yesterday revealed as a bedsit.

Police carried out a controlled explosion at the studio room in a Victorian property in Rutland Avenue in the city’s upmarket Sefton Park district.

Meanwhile, Dave Perry’s wife told the paper how grateful she was that her husband survived the blast.

That incident disgusted many Britons, to put it mildly: not only the act but also when and where it happened.

They were even more disgusted when politicians offered their condolences to the bomber. Guido Fawkes had the gaffes and the videos.

First out of the gate on November 15 was Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth:

Guido posted Ashworth’s subsequent apology:

This is obviously embarrassing I misread the news ticker in an interview and thought a member of the public had now died. My deepest apologies for this mistake.

The next day, it was the turn of Conservative MP Oliver Dowden and another Labour MP Charlotte Nichols:

Guido wrote (red emphases his):

On Sky News yesterday morning, Oliver Dowden expressed his “deep sympathy for the person that’s lost their life”, and claimed that he was joining the Prime Minister in doing so. Although Boris only tweeted his support for “all those affected”, rather than towards anyone specific…

Later, Labour MP Charlotte Nichols posted a tweet claiming she was “sending love to the family and friends of the person who was killed in the incident”. The tweet has since been deleted.

To top it all off, the Mirror then posted a Facebook status saying “…police have now named the man who sadly died. RIP 💔”. The statement was swiftly edited to remove the heartbreak, although it’s still visible in the post history…

Guido also has screengrabs of the Mirror‘s posts, a sight to behold. Ugh. And they call themselves journalists.

More followed on the bomber, his motives — and the conversion.

On November 16, the Mail‘s erstwhile columnist Dan Wootton wrote:

I can’t get out of my head how close we came to a tragedy of unimaginable proportions in Liverpool on Sunday – and how little most of the media and our leaders seem to want to talk about it.

If terrorist Emad Jamil Al Swealmeen had been able to emerge from hero cabbie Dave Perry’s car and enter Liverpool Women’s Hospital and if he’d been a better bomb-maker the loss of life to mums, their newborn and NHS staff would likely have been catastrophic.

Or, if he’d got just around the corner to Liverpool Cathedral, where he had previously converted to Christianity – perhaps in a bid to fool us all – as veterans and their families were marking Remembrance Day, the carnage would have been equally devastating.

But he didn’t.

The moronic monster, who arrived in the UK from the Middle East seven years ago, became the latest terrorist on British shores to kill himself and no one else, meaning our woke, well-meaning Establishment can avoid the politically incorrect but completely necessary conversations our country must have.

Meanwhile, as familiar pictures of dozens of migrants crammed into inflatables show today, up to a thousand more illegal and undocumented migrants – the vast majority young men from who knows where – stream across the Channel every day to join our asylum system and, in most cases, never leave again …

More than 22,000 illegals have entered the country this year – many destroy their passports, throw their phone into the sea and tear up any other paperwork, meaning we have no idea of who we are letting in from France …

The horrifying reality is that some of the people on these boats may already be operating within terror cells. At least, they are ripe for radicalisation when their dream life in the UK turns out to be less than idyllic.

The government wants us to turn a blind eye to this problem because they cannot seem to solve it, no matter how much tough talk comes from the mouths of Boris Johnson and Priti Patel …

… the only heartless thing is to continue to ignore policy failures that are resulting in the threat of deadly terrorism on our shores.

It’s our responsibility to have these uncomfortable conversations and refuse to look away.

Don’t miss the photo of a smiling Al-Swealmeen in a Swan Vestas (!!) apron and chef’s toque, holding a glass of wine and cooking. There’s another photo of him in the same apron proudly displaying a pizza. Then there are photos of him standing near a front door which sports a heart wreath.

The next day, the Mail had more about the bomb and other raids the police had made in Liverpool since the incident. There was also this gem, along with a photo of the Hitchotts, the couple from the Cathedral who put him up for eight months in 2017:

Friends said they were astounded that the ‘quiet and bashful’ young man, who was also a big fan of country singer Johnny Cash, was behind the Poppy Day bomb.

On November 19, The Express reported:

Emad Al Swealmeen is believed to have been plotting the explosion for at least seven months.

Detectives have since traced the purchase of bomb making material to April 2021, around the time he was renting a flat on Rutland Avenue.

Merseyside Police also confirmed he booked and got the taxi he would go on to blow up and die in on Sunday.

On November 20, the paper provided an update:

Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, died when his bomb blew up outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Remembrance Sunday. Experts have now revealed it may have exploded prematurely when his taxi suddenly jolted to a stop.

The blast left taxi driver David Perry, 43, lucky to escape with just minor wounds before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Mr Perry may have put his brakes on suddenly at the hospital drop-off point, causing the explosion, it was said.

Russ Jackson, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said the fact it detonated inside the taxi meant only the bomber was killed.

Experts believe had the bomb functioned as intended, metal fragments would have been flung in all directions, shredding the car and cutting down passers-by.

Mr Perry is thought to have escaped serious injury because the blast was largely confined to the back seat before the vehicle erupted in flames.

Mr Jackson added that they had found no links to the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

Church of England denies responsibility

On November 17, two articles about Al-Swealmeen notional conversion appeared in the press.

The Express interviewed the Hitchcotts:

The bomber met Elizabeth Hitchcott and her lay preacher husband Malcolm after being baptised in 2015 and confirmed as a Christian at the Liverpool Cathedral in 2017. Days later the couple, both 77, of Aigburth, Merseyside, took him in for eight months. Mrs Hitchcott said: “The one thing I suppose to be thankful for is that he did not kill anyone else. “We are just so sad. We loved him. We were shocked when we heard what he had done.”

Ex-soldier Mr Hitchcott said Al Swealmeen claimed he converted to Christianity after becoming disillusioned with Islam.

He said: “He took an Alpha course, which explains the Christian faith. He was confirmed as a Christian just before he came to live with us.

Al Swealmeen first contacted the Hitchcotts after his asylum appeal was dismissed and he was “desperate” for somewhere to stay.

Mr Hitchcott said: “He arrived here on April 1 2017. He was with us then for eight months and during that time we saw him really blossoming in regards to his Christian faith.

“He really had a passion about Jesus that I wish many Christians had and he was ready to learn.

“He was keen on reading his Bible and every night we used to pray. We prayed for half an hour or so and studied the scriptures. We had a great time together. He was absolutely genuine, as far as I could tell.

“I was in no doubt by the time that he left us that he was a Christian.”

Mr Hitchcott said Al Swealmeen changed his name to Enzo Almeni to shorten it and make it more European, “not for any ulterior motive”.

He admitted however that he had not spoken to Al Swealmeen in four years and there may have been “changes in his personality and his beliefs” during that time. Al Swealmeen’s confirmation at Liverpool Cathedral was conducted by Bishop Cyril Ashton.

Bishop Ashton said: “It seems that sadly, despite this grounding, the bomber chose a different path for his life.”

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that the bomber, described as “artistic”, had taken a cake decorating course at the City of Liverpool College three years before the attack.

The college said it was “dismayed to hear of his involvement in the tragic events” on Sunday.

The Mail focused on the Church of England and migrant conversions. The article also has Al-Swealmeen’s Confirmation photos. One caption reads:

He was not seen by the church soon after he was confirmed amid claims the Church of England is aiding an abuse of the immigration system

The article says:

The Church of England today denied there is any link between their vicars converting Muslim migrants and systemic abuse of the asylum system after it was revealed the Liverpool suicide bomber had found Jesus and then appealed his own case.

Emad Al Swealmeen lost his first bid to stay in Britain in 2014 but appealed again in 2017 after he was confirmed at Liverpool Cathedral and his case was still outstanding when he blew himself up in a taxi on Sunday.

Vicars have been accused of aiding asylum seekers to ‘game’ the immigration system by helping hundreds to convert from Islam and ‘pray to stay’ in the UK as it emerged people smugglers are using Instagram to urge migrants to follow Jesus to help them gain British citizenship.

But in a statement the CofE said: ‘We are not aware of any evidence to suggest a widespread correlation between conversion to Christianity, or any other faith, and abuse of the asylum system’.

And in a barbed response to Home Office source claims that changing from Islam to Christianity is now ‘standard practice’ among asylum seekers ‘to game the system’, a spokesman said: ‘It is not the role of clergy to establish the legitimacy of asylum claims and to assess security implications’.

MPs are to demand a ­formal Parliamentary probe into whether fake Christian converts are duping the Church of England to avoid being deported back to strict Muslim countries they came from. If the inquiry goes ahead Priti Patel would likely be hauled in to give evidence after the Home Secretary said Al Swealmeen, who changed his name to Enzo Almeni shortly after finding Jesus, had exploited the UK’s asylum ‘merry-go-round’.

Tim Loughton, a senior Tory MP on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: ‘There is a worrying new development where it appears certain asylum seekers are playing the religious card to avoid deportation to certain countries. This is gaming the system and something we must look into’.

Rev Mohammad Eghtedarian, then a clergyman at Liverpool Cathedral, admitted in 2016 that ‘plenty of people’ were lying about their intentions after it emerged that the Church of England had christened hundreds of asylum seekers under a scheme dubbed ‘pray to stay’. He said: ‘There are many people abusing the system… I’m not ashamed of saying that. But is it the person’s fault or the system’s fault? And who are they deceiving? The Home Office, me as a pastor, or God?’

It came as new statistics revealed that between January 2020 and June this year, 29% of all migrants arriving by boat say they are from Iran and 20% say they are from Iraq. 91% of all migrants came from just 10 countries – including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Eritrea and Yemen. These are also nations named in the top 20 countries where Christians are the most persecuted for following Jesus …

Today it emerged that people traffickers have used social media sites such as Instagram to advertise crossings from France to the UK – and urge customers to consider conversion to Christianity to bolster their cases. Because the largest number of UK asylum seekers come from Muslim countries, they can also argue that their new faith would put their lives at risk if they returned to the home country.

One such advert, in Arabic, has a picture of Jesus and says finding God will lead to more successful asylum claims ‘in the shortest possible time with the lowest cost’.  

The Home Office has previously said converting to Christianity does not automatically result in a successful asylum claim. The Church of England has said baptism is ‘open to all’ and that it is up to the Government to vet asylum seekers, not them.

But Sam Ashworth-Hayes, of the counter-extremist Henry Jackson Society, said: ‘We know that people are willing to lie to win asylum up to and including faking religious conversions. This is incentivised by the asylum system, which does not do enough to root out fakes.’

Now back to Al-Swealmeen and Liverpool Cathedral:

Poppy Day bomber Emad Al Swealmeen was baptised in 2015 at Liverpool Cathedral and went on to be confirmed in 2017 after his claim for asylum was rejected in 2014. But the cathedral ‘lost contact’ with him the following year – with the bishop who carried out his confirmation service saying yesterday he had ‘no specific recollection’ of Al Swealmeen.

It emerged yesterday that Al Swealmeen was baptised as a Christian at Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral in 2015, one of around 200 asylum seekers to adopt the faith there over a four-year period.

It is understood this did not play a role in his asylum claims. But conversions are ‘standard practice’ among some asylum seekers, in particular those from Iran and Iraq, who seek to ‘game the system’, Home Office sources said. 

A counter-extremism think-tank last night called for an investigation into the ‘Liverpool Cathedral convert cluster’.

Oddly enough, in 2015, even Mr Hitchcott said that some asylum seekers were converting for convenience:

a lay minister at the cathedral – who would later take in Al Swealmeen [in 2017] – also warned that some asylum seekers ‘attend church with the sole purpose of advancing their asylum claims’.

The article looks at the Cathedral’s motives:

At the time of Al-Swealmeen’s baptism, Liverpool Cathedral was in the midst of a successful drive to both boost its congregation and embrace prospective converts.

More than 130 new converts of Iranian origin alone were baptised, with a total of 200 asylum seekers converting there between 2012 and 2016.

Liverpool was then a dispersal centre for asylum seekers, with volunteers helping to mentor new arrivals and help them access charity facilities and food banks.

In 2016 the Very Rev Peter Wilcox, then Dean of Liverpool and now Bishop of Sheffield, admitted some had ‘mixed motives’, adding: ‘Once you are a baptised Christian it is really not conceivable that you would be deported to a Muslim country.’ At the end of that year, Church Commissioners agreed £1million of funding to roll out the Anglican cathedral’s ‘multiplying congregations’ scheme across the diocese. And Liverpool Cathedral’s weekly average aggregate attendance had also risen to 702, from 438 in 2013.

Insiders stressed that the two-year ‘examination process’ of Christian conversion was ‘rigorous’ and designed to weed out opportunists.

Those applying for asylum go on to be challenged ‘strongly’ on their faith by the Home Office to check it is genuine …

The current Dean of Liverpool Cathedral last night suggested Al Swealmeen’s faith had been genuine, saying two years was a ‘long time’ to attend church for asylum reasons alone. The Very Rev Sue Jones added: ‘We can’t have responsibility for everyone. What we offer here is a safe space for asylum seekers.’

Bishop Cyril Ashton, who conducted Al Swealmeen’s confirmation service, said: ‘The church takes confirmation seriously… It seems that, sadly, the bomber chose a different path for his life’ …

Al Swealmeen is understood to have moved legally to the UK in 2014 from Dubai, where he spent his teenage years after allegedly being abused by his Syrian father.

Later that year his initial asylum application was turned down. It is understood his claim was ‘not compliant’ with Home Office rules. Al Swealmeen, who changed his name to Enzo Almeni after becoming a Christian, made a fresh asylum application in 2017 but this was rejected two years later.

His legal challenges were still under way when he died in the failed bomb attack.

Strangely enough, with all of those helpful conversions to those in need:

The cathedral is being treated as a potential target by counter-terror police. Its Remembrance Day service was taking place a mile from Liverpool Women’s Hospital at 11am on Sunday.

Al-Swealmeen is not the only failed asylum-seeker-convert to have committed an atrocity:

Khairi Saadallah, who killed three men in a rampage in a Reading park in June last year [2020], converted to Christianity more than a year before the attack. He twice failed to win asylum in 2012.

On November 22, one week after the attack, GB News’s Patrick Christys’s editorial was about the attack and the fact that politicians and media were sweeping it under the carpet. He rightly wondered what was going through the mind of cabbie Dave Perry and his grateful wife:

I very much doubt that Liverpudlian taxi driver David Perry and his family have moved on from the fact that he’s so lucky to be alive after a man blew himself up in the back of his car. I doubt they’ve stopped thinking about whether or not the Anglican church is actually complicit in a great big asylum swindle that sees people fraudulently convert to Christianity in a bid to remain in this country.

Tomorrow I will have a 2024 update: the latest horrific episode involving a convenient Christian convert and the finger-pointing between Church and state.

More Christmas traditions: the manger scene and the tree

On Christmas Eve 2023, GB News’s Neil Oliver devoted his show to the meaning of Christmas.

In his monologue (editorial) at the beginning, he pointed out that Christmas is the only time when the world comes together to contemplate peace and good will towards all. He said that if we water down this season, we are in danger of forgetting what it means to be human. He also mentioned that St Francis of Assisi brought us the original manger scene, something about which I wrote in October:

Here is the video of the full show. Skip through the news and the adverts and it is about 45 minutes long:

At around the 20-minute mark, Oliver spoke with the Revd Gavin Ashenden who was once one of Queen Elizabeth’s chaplains, then he converted to Catholicism. Oliver’s panel guest, Andrew Eborn, asked what made Ashenden make that choice. Ashenden said that he sees truth in Catholicism. Oliver looked at him sceptically and asked him what he thought of Church leaders in general, to which he replied, not much. Oliver had this look on his face that seemed to say, ‘Convince me I should believe and I will’, but as St Paul’s letters point out, an unbeliever is likely to believe only once he sees leaders reflecting that faith in a transformed way of godliness and holiness. What internationally recognised Christian leaders today meet those criteria?

The third segment had to do with St Francis of Assisi’s manger scene. Oliver interviewed the American novelist Laurel Guillen, author of A Bellwether Christmas. She said that 2023 is the 800th anniversary year of the first one, which Francis devised for a Christmas Mass in Greccio, near Assisi. (He used the manger as the altar and had a real ox and a donkey there, too.) She said she had become interested in the saint when her grandmother took her to Italy for holiday in the 1990s and they visited some of the places Francis had lived and worked. You can read more about Laurel Guillen, whose husband worked for ABC News, at BeliefNet.

It is rather incredible to think not only that Francis came up with the first manger scene in an era when the Mass was said in church but also that the concept has endured ever since and is a universal Christian representation of the earthly birth of Christ. I began looking at two patterns of wrapping paper we have at home. Whilst they are secular in nature, both feature animals expressing their joy at the season — a bit of Franciscan inspiration there, it would seem.

Oliver’s final guest was Professor Ralph Schollhammer who, being German, was over the moon at having been invited to discuss the origins of the Christmas tree. He said:

This is the highlight of my career being with you on Christmas Eve and talking about the Christmas tree.

He went on to say:

All the cool Christmas traditions come from people with German accents, so, from the Krampus to the Christmas tree. Where did it all start? In Germany.

All the stories about the Christmas tree seem to have arisen around the 15th century:

One story I really like is that Martin Luther once saw the stars above and he was so moved by it that he said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we have these evergreens in our house and put lights on [them]?’ That’s supposed to be the beginning of the Christmas tree and putting candles on the tree … Given the Protestant Reformation and everything, I think it’s a very, very nice story.

What I really like about it is that it’s the greatest story of cultural appropriation that ever happened because the idea of the Christmas tree comes from the solstice on the 21st or 22nd of December, the last really short days and then the days get longer. And you have this really nice way of how Christianity adopted it and turned it into something of its own, in a way that worked for everybody.

So, I think the story of the Christmas tree is, politically, if we want to go down this road, has probably more relevance than one would think.

Oliver asked Andrew Eborn, broadcaster and technology lawyer, what he thought. The normally serious Eborn surprised me in his various GB News appearances this week with his knowledge of Christmas trivia. He told Oliver and Schollhammer that the very first artificial trees actually had boughs made of goose feathers which were dyed green!

Oliver returned to Schollhammer and said that there was something very ‘primeval’ and ‘fundamental’ about focussing on something that is ever green during the darkest, bleakest days of the year when everything else had died. Schollhammer agreed, pointing out how much human life depended on the seasons, something we do not have to worry about today.

Schollhammer ended by saying that, on that basis, we have much for which to be thankful today, even though we criticise some aspects of modernity.

Oliver asked him if he sensed that more people were getting into a celebratory spirit this Christmas season than in previous years. He replied:

I hope so. I hope so. A revival of those traditions and the way we look at life, which is connected to it, would be a good thing even if it’s only once or twice a year, right? I understand that this is not something that happens every day, but I think this would be a good thing.

Then Schollhammer gave us a highly interesting fact about German history’s link to the evergreen from two millennia ago (emphases mine):

You see a little bit of a revival of it, particularly in the German-speaking world, where the forest and the trees have always had a very specific significance, that goes back to the idea that our history began with beating the Romans in the forest, so basically, among the trees our nation was formed. If you want, that’s one of the myths that surrounds German mythology.

He returned to Oliver’s point about celebration — and was probably unaware that he included a Sarah Palin expression here from 2008:

But, yes, there is something on the horizon. I think there is a sense among people that the next year or the coming years will be different from the preceding ones. And I hope to convey one message to your viewers: let’s get into this New Year as happy warriors … The changes we want to see are substantial but we should not lose hope. Let’s be serious about these issues, but let’s be happy warriors about it. That would be my New Year’s message to myself and also to your viewers and your listeners.

Neil Oliver obviously hadn’t heard the expression before, either:

Fantastic, Ralph! ‘Happy warriors’!

This ends my further exploration of Christmas traditions for this year.

Forbidden Bible Verses returns tomorrow.

Family: ‘the only hope of the world’

Having written about Titus 2:4-5 and Titus 2:6-8, which concern the responsibilities of younger Christian women and men, it seemed apposite to write about the importance of family.

Family, marriage and the home

In 2019, I bookmarked a post from LAMP, Lutheran Autonomous Missions Philippines: ‘Christian Family Life Is The Only Hope Of The World’, which is an excerpt from a 1915 sermon on the Fourth Commandment. The sermon expands on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.

The excerpt reads as follows:

2. Christian Family Life Is The Only Hope Of The World.

Because of these undeniable facts, I affirm that Christian Family Life is the only Hope of the World.

In our second text, which is a part of the account of God’s covenant made with his people on the occasion of the giving of His Law, God Himself tells us what the consequences are when men, whether as individuals, or families, or nations, depart from the Lord. He tells us that it means the introduction of “a root that beareth gall and wormwood.” Such people bring on themselves, justly and inevitably, the wrath and punishment of Almighty God. And, sooner or later, it means the downfall of that man, or family, or nation. And this fall comes because men themselves despise and neglect the elements which make for safety and perpetuity, and allow the introduction of the elements which can ultimately end only in decay and dissolution.

The family circle is the primary training-school for the cultivation of all the virtues.

The post cited this link to the Lutheran Library which features sermons on the Small Catechism, in this case ‘The Christian Family’ by Robert Emory Golladay (1867-1947), the author of many sermons on the Bible and the Church.

Although he wrote his sermon in 1915, it could have been written yesterday, the content is that fresh and relevant.

This is the introduction to the first of the Ten Commandments relating to man’s relationship with man, honouring one’s mother and one’s father:

We are now ready to take up the study of the Second Table of God’s holy Law. This Second Table, beginning, according to our division, with the Fourth Commandment, deals with man’s relation to his fellowman. But let us not forget that, though these commandments treat of human relations, they are still God’s laws. And equally well let us remember that the violation of these commands, while a sin against man, is, primarily, a sin against God Himself.

In taking a general survey of this Second Table of the Law, even the most cursory student could scarcely fail to notice that there is one institution which lies at the very foundation of more than half these commandments, and is not excluded from the others. The Fourth, the Sixth, the Ninth and Tenth Commandments presuppose directly the family relation. And we shall never get the bearing, or the real significance, of many things spoken of, or referred to, in the Second Table of the Law until we have a fair idea of this fundamental human relation, — the family …

1. The Family Is A Divine Institution

This part on the family is particularly relevant today:

God Himself established it. The family existed in Paradise before ever sin made its appearance on earth. These facts give us sufficient evidence of the holy nature of the estate, and of the sacred and important ends God intended to have accomplished through it.

The family is not only the first institution of earth as to time, but it is the first also in importance. It is the fundamental institution for the perpetuation and development of the race. It is the radiating point of all the influences which affect the children of men. As the family is, so, largely, the State is going to be, and the Church. The ideals which prevail in the family circle, and are imbibed there, become the actuating motives of those who grow into manhood and womanhood there, and will dominate them when they go out into the wider circles of business and social life.

Reformatory efforts, whether they look to improvements in the Church, the State, or the general social conditions of mankind, shall fail, and fail miserably, if they do not look, first of all, at the correction of the family life. The family is the first unit in all human relations. It is the fountainhead of human existence. And no stream can rise higher than its source.

No man can build a house which will stand, especially when the storms rage and the floods surge, on a foundation of sand. And a flourishing Church, a sane and prosperous State, a wholesome, brotherly social and business life, cannot be built upon a family life which is not sane, and wholesome, and spiritually minded …

This is a truth which is being more and more recognized, and emphasized, by those who are not teachers of religion. Let us who are not only members of families, but members of the Church of God, not fail to learn, or having learned, not fail to profit by this lesson.

Marriage An Ordinance of God’s Own Establishment

Golladay offers sobering words for parents of older children as well as to young men and women:

As the basis of the family relation we have marriage, an ordinance of God’s own establishment. It was He who said in the words of our text: “It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him.”

It was God who brought the first lonely man a companion.

It was God who united them, one man and one woman, in the indissoluble bonds of love, of unity of purpose, and of hearty cooperation, for life. And God is still the maker of marriages when people, in the fear and love of God, seek His good guidance. But when parents have no other thought than to be matchmakers, in order to get their children off their hands, and well settled in life; when young people, who have never had a serious thought in all their lives, rush into marriage with never a thought of its real responsibilities, with never a thought about the decisive bearing this step cannot fail to have on their own lives for time and eternity; with never a thought about the bearing this union will have on the Church, the State, the race; under such conditions marriages are not made in heaven, but in the other place. And only a miracle of grace can prevent them from being failures in every sense of the word.

Marriage! Marriage an institution of God’s ordaining, sacred in all its relations! Marriage an institution through which God is to be continually glorified, and humanity to be blessed! What thoughts these terms provoke! What a noble relationship! But would right thinking people want to apply these terms, or any one of them, to a union which is the result of a thoughtless, foolish escapade? Would we want to call that a Divine union where a man only wanted a housekeeper, and the woman only wanted to escape what is sometimes foolishly spoken of as the stigma of spinsterhood? I glory in the woman who, rather than sell herself for a name, or a home, or surrender herself to a man whom she can neither respect nor love, will courageously shoulder the responsibility of carving out her own career, and live and die unmated.

And my advice to the young man is that, if he cannot find something better than an animated clothes-rack, or one of those empty-minded giggling nonentities who has never had a higher thought than eating chocolate bonbons, having a neverending good time, escaping every form of work and responsibility, and keeping a man eternally in debt, then he had better follow suit, and live and die unmated; or hunt up one of the sensible, unspoiled bachelor maids and see whether he cannot get her to change her mind.

… I would a hundred times rather see no marriages than bad ones, which wreck and ruin human lives and human institutions.

The Home

He explains what a home should be:

… The word home is one of those which strikes deepest into the heart of the average man or woman. Aside from Divine overruling grace there is no influence on earth which does so much to make or mar humanity as the home.

A house is not necessarily a home. A palace, with costly tapestries, statuary, and every product of art, may still be no real home. To have a home there must be the contact of loving hearts, there must be fellowship of those of kindred spirit, there must be that which draws out and strengthens the best of which human nature is capable.

If we could only get people to think more of being home-makers! It is a great thing to be a landowner, and produce live stock, and grain, with which to feed hungry people. It is a great thing to be a big business man, producing for men, or conveying to them, the necessities of life. It is a great thing to be an honest toiler of any kind, and to know that thereby one is contributing to the good of humanity. But the greatest work of all is that which has as its conscious object true home-making. Here, as nowhere else, minds are trained, characters developed, and destinies of men and nations fixed.

2. Christian Family Life Is The Only Hope Of The World

Golladay asserts:

Because of these undeniable facts, I affirm that Christian Family Life is the only Hope of the World.

The next part of his sermon is the one excerpted at the top of this post. It ends with:

The family circle is the primary training-school for the cultivation of all the virtues.

He then cites Philippians 4:8 before exploring what constitutes a godly home:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.

I ask you where is the first place, and the most effective place, for teaching these things? There is but one answer, in the home. And they will not be taught, they cannot be effectually taught there, unless the fear and love of God rules in the home, unless the spirit of Christ reigns there. It is the Church’s exalted duty to teach these things, but one reason why the Church’s teaching does not produce any greater results is that they are not practiced in the home as they ought to be. None of us are perfect, we all have enough faults; but it is certain that if these things are not taught and practiced in the home, they will not be practiced out in the world.

It is in the home that human beings are brought into the closest, the dearest, the most responsible relationships in life. The Divine ideal is that humanity is to be a great brotherhood, mutually considerate and helpful. “None of us liveth to himself,” saith the Lord. Now the very center of this great complex of human relationship is the family circle. Here is where the real heart-beats of humanity are felt. If here there is a true spirit of mutual love and helpfulness, if here there is willingness to make sacrifices one for another, if here the spirit of self-control is exercised, if here the spirit of selfishness is banished more and more, then it may be reasonably expected that, with proper encouragement, this spirit will be carried out into the larger relationships, into the community and the Church.

He then presents a dysfunctional home environment:

But if parents are themselves supremely selfish, if they are not willing to make any sacrifices for the common good, if they constantly seek to escape responsibilities, if they are full of impatience with one another, if their children are always in the way, and everything done for them is done under protest, what is to be expected when such people get out into the world? Is it any wonder that they regard the world only as an orange to be squeezed for their own pleasure? And if children learn none of these primary virtues in the home circle, if each one lives only for himself or herself, if each one is an Ishmael with his hand against everyone else, if each one lives only to get and be served, but never to give or to serve, then there is but little hope that they will ever effectually learn these lessons. By the grace of God there will be exceptions. Just as the water lily grows up in beauty and fragrance out of the mud and miasm of a stagnant lake, so an occasional child, reared in the godless and chilly atmosphere of an unchristian home, will develop into beautiful manhood or womanhood, because the warm rays of Divine grace beam upon it from other sources than the home. But the odds are greatly against this.

He says that only God-fearing people can make a good home:

Only in one way, by turning to the Lord our God, by having the fear of God before our eyes, by making the Law of God the rule of our lives, by opening our hearts to be filled and ruled by the Spirit of Jesus Christ; and by making the home the first and greatest school for the teaching and practice of these heavenly virtues.

Blessed are the men and women who came out from homes where unassumed and unassuming Christian piety reigned; from homes where the only law was the law of righteousness and love; from homes where the grief of one was the grief of all, and the joy of one the joy of all; from homes where the richest heritage was a godly father’s counsel, and a sainted mother’s prayers. Such a home is earth’s vestibule to heaven. In such a home love is a law of life, and kindly deeds are love’s legitimate fruitage. If, because of human frailty, there is offense given, there is also ready reparation and forgiveness. To such a home as this the inmates will flee, as to a haven of rest, from the wearying, vexing battles which are waged in the world by warring human passions. And when to the members of such a home inevitable sorrow comes, bowed and burdened hearts are comforted and cheered by love both human and Divine. From such homes come nearly all the men and women who bless the earth with their presence and their work. The names of such homes are kept sacred in the records of heaven. And their influence shall never perish from the earth.

He then poses the challenges to the family and a question that could have arisen in a newspaper column today:

The family and the home are threatened in our day by an ever-growing and powerful list of enemies. The growing congestion of city life, the crowding of families into apartments where real family life is next to impossible, the rearing of children in the midst of the most unfavorable environment, the increasing stress of competition which breadwinners have to face, and the multiplication of temptations for children and adults, have led students of economic and social conditions to ask the question: Can the family, the home, survive?

He concludes:

It behooves those who love humanity, and are interested in the coming of the Kingdom of God, to bestir themselves to the end that it shall survive; not alone in the sense of substantial dwellings, but in the sense of men and women of God mated in love, Divine and human, who will live their religion in their homes, and beget and rear children who will follow in their footsteps. Then shall the root which beareth gall and bitterness find no soil for growth in our homes. Our land will be safe and prosper. And the Kingdom of God take on new vigor. As of old the called and professing children of God, with the nation at large, are standing at a critical point in our history. What shall our answer be to God’s proposals? Let the answer of each be that of the man of God of old:

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

What a powerful message to read 108 years on!

————————-

On a slightly lighter note, did you know that there are cowboys in the Philippines?

The website for LAMP, Lutheran Autonomous Missions Philippines, is called Lutheran Cowboys Philippines. A post called ‘Carabao’ explains why and includes an illustration, an ancient map and a recent photograph:

Pastor Palangyos titled the blog Lutheran Cowboys Philippines because of our admiration for traditional country music and our farming backgrounds. American traditional country music is popular in the Philippines’ highlands where much of our current mission efforts are.

Our logo, designed by Rovi Estrada, consists of a cowboy riding a carabao.

Carabao (water ox), the symbol of hard work, patience, strength and considered by many to be the national animal of the Philippines has been used by man in numerous accounts of recorded history in the Philippines.

The Murillo Velarde Map published in 1734 depicts the carabao as an integral part of the Filipino life used as a domesticated animal in the fields and as a means of transportation similar to horses and camels.

“Blessed [are] ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth [thither] the feet of the ox and the ass. ” Isaiah 32:20

Carabao are used in a method of farming called payatak described by Professor Abe V. Rotor, “This is a local version of zero tillage. No plowing, no harrowing. A herd of carabaos trample of the soil until it turns puddle, then the one-month old seedlings are transplanted. No spray, no fertilizer. This is natural farming in the marginal sense, a carryover of traditional farming.”

“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:14

“Our carabaos do not reproduce as fast as we slaughter them,” says Dr. Libertado C. Cruz, one of the country’s foremost animal scientists. “If we allow this trend to continue, our carabao population will soon be practically eliminated.”

After World War II the majority of the Philippines’ carabao population had been decimated from Japanese policy slaughtering the carabao as a food source. The USDA reports the “carabeef has 41% less cholesterol, 92% less fat and 56% fewer calories than beef.”

In response to the dwindling numbers of carabao the Philippine Government issued EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 626 October 21, 1980 that the slaughtering of carabaos and buffaloes is hereby prohibited except under certain conditions.

During my time in the Philippines I saw several carabao in the fields on my travel to Baguio from Manila. A rural farm family had a carabao pictured below with Judah – they treated us to fresh fruit and water during our hiking trip through the mountains.

Glen Kotten

I wish the Lutheran Cowboys in the Philippines continued success and grace in their work for the Lord.

How Spain celebrates Epiphany

January 6 is the feast of the Epiphany.

I am most grateful to whoever tweeted the link to my 2014 post ‘Why the Epiphany is so important — a Lutheran perspective’ on Thursday, January 5, 2023. I received 743 Twitter referrals and the post had 852 views. As I write this in the late morning on Friday, I have had 175 Twitter referrals and the post has had 202 views. Many thanks — greatly appreciated!

The source for that post’s content comes from St Paul’s Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) in Kingsville, Maryland. Their explanation is a good précis of the revelation that occurred when the Magi arrived to visit the Christ Child, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Magi were Gentiles, which is significant, because it foreshadowed that non-Jews would be welcomed into the Church.

These are the readings for January 6:

Epiphany — Old Testament reading — Isaiah 60:1-6 (2017)

Epiphany — Epistle — Ephesians 3:1-12 (2016)

Epiphany — Gospel — Matthew 2:1-12 (2016)

These posts offer further reflections on the importance of this feast day:

A Lutheran pastor reflects on the Epiphany

More Lutheran reflections on the Epiphany

A Lutheran perspective on the Magi

The Epiphany and the Bible

Jesuit astronomer discusses the Star of Bethlehem (2016)

What to remember about Epiphany (2016)

Some Christians mark their doorway with the initials of the Three Kings every year on this day:

Remembering the Epiphany in chalk

Then we come to traditions that are celebrated at this time of year.

These posts have to do with English celebrations, marking the end of the traditional 12-day Christmas period and signalling a return to work:

St Distaff’s Day — Distaff Day: January 7

Plough Monday – first Monday after Epiphany

The English tradition of Plough Monday (2016)

Plough Monday — the Monday after Epiphany (2017)

And, of course, there are sweet treats to eat, such as king cake, which is popular in New Orleans:

Epiphany and king cake — a history

This brings me to Spain, where Epiphany overshadows Christmas as the main gift giving day, a tradition that has carried through to Spanish-speaking countries in Latin and South America.

Cities, towns and villages hold their own Three Kings Parade, La Cabalgata de Reyes, which takes place on the evening of January 5.

El Rincón del Tandém, the Spanish School in Valencia, explains Spain’s Epiphany traditions, beginning with children’s letters to the Three Kings, the Magi (emphases mine):

As with Father Christmas, in many countries a letter is also written to ask the Three Wise Men for presents. It is common for children to write this letter at school on the last days of school and give it to their parents so that they can pass it on to the Three Wise Men.

Parents take their children’s letters to the Three Kings Parade so that they can pass them on to the kings or their pages:

This is another of the Spanish traditions related to Three Kings Day. It is a parade of floats in which the people on the floats throw sweets, candies and some toys to the children who come to see them. In addition to this, the Three Wise Men ride on the most sumptuous floats to remind the children to be good and go home early. Alongside the floats of the Three Wise Men are the pages, who collect the letters from the children who were late in sending them. If you live in Valencia, don’t miss the Three Kings Parade!

Camels often feature in the parades, at least in Spain, because these beasts of burden are what the Wise Men used.

It is, therefore, important to ensure that the camels receive food and water at home after the parade. The Wise Men could use a treat, too. Children also put out their shoes, receptacles for their presents:

Among the traditions, which vary from country to country, food is given to the camels and the Three Kings. In Spain they are given a plate with milk and nougat and in Latin America it is cut grass inside a shoebox. All this so that both the camels and the Three Wise Men can have a snack after a long night of handing out presents.

There is also a king cake for family and friends to enjoy, the Roscón de Reyes:

This is a round-shaped cake, filled with cream and covered with candied fruit. You are sure to see it in all bakeries and pastry shops. Inside it hides a figure of a wise man and a bean. According to the tradition of each town in Spain, whoever gets the Wise Man becomes king for a day and everyone must pay homage to him and do what he/she asks for. If you get the bean, then you have to pay for the roscón.

Spain Is Culture has more.

Some towns have special postmen who collect and deliver the children’s letters. Children:

can either give the letter to the Wise Men personally when they arrive “officially” on 5 January, or to the emissaries and royal postmen to be found in the centre of all Spanish towns a few days before. They will be asked if they have been good at school and at home, because naughty children get left coal instead of presents. Although, in truth, it is a “sweet” punishment because the coal is made of sugar.

Everyone enjoys the parade:

When the long-awaited day finally arrives, the whole family come out onto the street to receive the Wise Men. They arrive with a traditional parade, riding through the streets on their camels, loaded with presents and accompanied by royal pages who throw sweets and goodies to the children. One by one, the delightful floats pass by, decorated with bright colours and inspired in popular children’s characters. The little ones will love them. All the while, a band brings joy to the celebration with Christmas songs and carols. The spectacle of joy, light and colour, combined with the smiles of the children, make for a feeling of complete happiness.

There are parades celebrated all over Spain on this day. Each has its own particular style, depending on where you are. In Barcelona, for example, the Three Wise Men arrive by sea, while in the village of Alarilla, in Guadalajara, they are daring enough to arrive by hang-glider and paraglider. Or why not see the parade in Alcoi, Alicante, the oldest in Spain?

Yes, we’ll get to the parade in Alcoi in a moment.

When the parade ends:

children go to bed early but excited, to wait for Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar to come in through the window and leave presents in their shoes. First they should put water and bread on the windowsill for the camels to eat and drink while the Wise Men do their work.

EuroWeekly had a January 4 announcement for the 2023 parade in Palma, Mallorca, complete with a photo of the Three Kings on a balcony waving to the crowd:

The Three Kings is the main Christmas period celebration of the year in Spain and the celebrations in Mallorca are magnificent and most certainly a spectacle to enjoy if you are visiting at this time of year.

The Three Kings is a celebration of the arrival of Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior in Bethlehem to see baby Jesus, and is enjoyed all over Spain with a street parade, known in Spanish as a “Cabalgata de Reyes”, on the evening of January 5, with the first-ever parade that was recorded being in 1876 in Alicante.

Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, aboard the period boat, Rafael Verdera, will disembark at around 6:00.PM at the Moll Vell. Once ashore, they will walk through the streets of the city accompanied by their floats and troupes.

Spanish Sabores has a first-hand account, complete with photos, from Lauren Aloise, who attended a Cabalgata de Reyes in 2012. The Kings and their pages throw wrapped hard candies from the floats:

La Cabalgata in El Puerto was probably one of the most fun parades I’ve ever been to. It wins the award for most dangerous too! The candy throwing was intense, and I was lucky to escape with only a few light bruises and my camera still intact …

Spaniards take this parade seriously. Everyone comes with big, empty plastic bags, hoping to fill them to the brim with candy. A few die-hard spectators bring an umbrella and turn it inside out– cheating if you ask me, but it seems to be effective. I heard teenage girls strategizing about how to catch the most candy, and Ale almost got knocked out when trying to retrieve a treat that had landed on the ground next to him. You’ll need to protect your face from the candies that the Kings throw at you at full speed, and I wouldn’t recommend bringing a very good camera (I had my old point and shoot thank goodness!) …

The candy they give away is kind of gross, and you have to fight to the death to catch it. I caught two by accident (they got lodged in my scarf) but I’m just not a lemon and orange hard candy kind of girl. That said, the challenge of catching the candy that comes your way (and not getting hit in the eye) is kind of fun. I was laughing the entire time!

Overall, I really enjoyed La Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos and if the weather is ever as nice as it was this year, I’d definitely consider going again. My advice: be alert, and protect your face and possessions. Remember, it’s just candy, and although it’s free it’s not worth fighting for. Have fun!

It’s a Spanish version of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, as floats also represent popular cartoon characters of the day, including those from Disney.

A 2019 post from Andalucia Tours and Discovery says:

This parade is very popular, because not only The Three Kings will be there, but also other characters, like Spongebob, Aladdin, and some other Disney figures. You also see a lot of dancers, musicians, and puppeteers. The Kings ride on camels or elaborate floats and throw goodies, usually candy or sweets, down to the children.

In Seville, this tradition also starts at the 5th of January. The parade of that day will start at 16:15 at the University of Sevilla, The old Tobacco Factory. Then, the parade will end around 22:00 at the University again.

The parade of 2019 will be composed of 33 floats, seven musical groups, six hosts of Bedouins as well as a choir of bells.

Devour Tours also has a good overview of January 5 and 6, particularly the food. Their post is from 2022:

The Three Wise Men have been honored in various European countries since the Middle Ages. When the tradition of Santa Claus bringing gifts to children on Christmas Day became popular in some countries centuries ago, Spain followed suit, but used los reyes magos as the gift-bringers instead.

In recent years, some Spanish families have begun to embrace the Santa tradition as well. As a result, some children get gifts on both December 25 and January 6. However, Three Kings Day is easily the more important of the two, and the day when just about everyone in Spain will be in the gift-giving spirit …

Throughout the holiday season, Spanish families enjoy multiple feasts that last for hours. Three Kings Day is no different. After opening the gifts from los reyes magos, it’s time to enjoy an elaborate lunch comprised of multiple courses and plenty of post-meal chatter, known as sobremesa.

A typical Three Kings Day lunch in Spain will likely start with some appetizers such as cheese and cured meats. The main course can vary depending on where you are in the country, but expect something hearty and filling, usually meat or seafood based. Just be sure to save room for dessert: the almighty roscón …

The roscón de reyes is notoriously difficult to make at home and takes a long time. As a result, most people outsource theirs to the experts. Starting in the fall, bakeries throughout Spain see thousands of orders for roscones from locals eager to reserve theirs in time.

As for when to eat the roscón, that depends on who you ask. Some families dig into theirs as soon as they get home from the Three Kings Day parade on January 5. Others have it for breakfast on the morning of the 6th, and still others hold off until afternoon on Three Kings Day to have it for merienda, or the midday snack around 6 p.m.

Roscones can come in several different varieties, all of them delicious. Some are plain and come without any filling. Others contain fresh whipped cream, chocolate truffle cream, or even candied spaghetti squash (it’s better than it sounds!).

Now we get to the 2023 controversy in Alcoi, or Alcoy, in Valencia.

On January 3, The Times reported of an activist group’s objections to the portrayal of Balthazar by the locals:

The events, which mark the end of Christmas and the day when people exchange gifts for the festive season, still often feature people wearing blackface to represent Balthazar, the magus traditionally depicted as black in Christian lore.

In several towns, such as Igualada in Catalonia and Alcoy in Valencia, hundreds of Balthazar’s assistants or “pages”, also wear blackface.

Opposition has grown in recent years but the practice persists, sparking renewed calls for a ban. “It doesn’t matter what you think you’re trying to represent. It doesn’t matter that you think it makes kids happy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tradition. If you paint yourself a colour that’s not yours, it’s racist,” Elvira Swartch Lorenzo said. She is a member of Afrofeminas, an anti-racism group that has campaigned against the tradition.

“The cabalgata contributes to normalising in the collective imagination the slave period as something harmless and without consequences,” she said. “The black faces that walk through the Spanish streets, our very presence, is a consequence of the slave and colonial past that is not studied in schools.”

Except that Balthazar was a very wealthy and highly learned man. He brought myrrh to the Christ Child, used in embalming and signifying His death to come.

The controversy began nationwide a few years ago and has involved more towns than Alcoi. Locals are appointed to portray Balthazar and his pages:

“It’s not a question of racism,” Eduard Creus, the spokesman for the private foundation that organises the parade, told La Vanguardia newspaper. He said several measures were being studied to respond to the criticism, including appointing a black person to play Baltazhar.

“Groups of people of African descent have approached the foundation offering to look for and hire pages, but ours are not theatrical performances,” he added. “Volunteering transmits the magic feeling of the occasion.”

In 2019, a Catalan television station refused to continue to broadcast Igualada’s parade, opting for another one that did not use blackface volunteers. The same year anti-racism groups reported that their campaign had led to a reduction to one in four parades using blackface Baltazhars. Last year a senior official from Spain’s equality ministry criticised Alicante city hall for featuring a blackface Baltazhar.

Activists also object to camels being used:

Afrofeminas has called for a boycott of Alcoy’s parade, which is the oldest in Spain dating to 1885, but its appeal appears to have fallen on deaf ears. However, a petition by an animal rights group demanding that camels not be used in the event attracted more than 77,000 signatures.

But that’s what camels are for. They are beasts of burden. They always have been.

I don’t know what to say, other than that the activists don’t know the story of the Magi, one of the most beautiful in the New Testament.

Matthew does not give us specifics about the Wise Men, Three Kings or Magi — whatever one prefers to call these brilliant men who followed a star for many months, probably a year or more, in order to find their final destination.

Wikipedia’s entry on Biblical Magi states that the origin of their names came from a 5th century document in the first instance:

The online version of Encyclopædia Britannica states: “According to Western church tradition, Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia or sometimes Ethiopia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India.”^[23] These names apparently derive from a Greek manuscript probably composed in Alexandria around 500, which has been translated into Latin with the title Excerpta Latina Barbari.^[19] Another Greek document from the 8th century, of presumed Irish origin and translated into Latin with the title Collectanea et Flores, continues the tradition of three kings and their names and gives additional details.^[24][25]

Also:

In the Western Christian church, they have all been regarded as saints …

It does seem as if activists, who probably know nothing about the Bible, are hell bent on destroying Christian traditions.

I cannot think of a better way of getting children interested in the New Testament than during the Christmas season, ending with Epiphany. The Nativity story is a beautiful, albeit humble, one and it shows that people from all nations are welcome in God’s kingdom through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for Christians in the Holy Land and the Middle East

For at least ten years the Christians living in the Holy Land have been persecuted.

Over Christmas 2021, articles and interviews surfaced about their plight. Sadly, this is not new, but it does show how impossible a resolution to this situation seems.

In July 2011, The Sunday Times reported that the then-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was launching an appeal for Christians suffering in the Holy Land (emphases mine below):

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams yesterday launched an appeal for “suffering” Christians in the Holy Land, calling for Anglicans to do more to help with community projects and job creation.

Dr Rowan Williams told the General Synod in York: “I returned from a visit to the Holy Land last year with a very, very strong sense that we had to do more to express our solidarity with the Christian communities there …

He said he hoped that Anglicans and others would give generously to help build a fund for projects that would contribute to the sustainability of the most vulnerable Christian communities, especially on the West Bank …

He launched the appeal prior to a joint conference on Christians in the Holy Land with England’s Catholic Archbishop — now Cardinal — Vincent Nichols :

Dr Williams’ appeal came ahead of a conference on Christians in the Holy Land which he and the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols are jointly hosting at Lambeth Palace in London next week.

In a video presentation to explain his appeal Dr Williams warns that the rate of Christian emigration from the Holy Land had reached the point of “haemorrhage” …

Archbishop Vincent Nichols says: “People are leaving, Christians are leaving, and we want to say the Christian presence in the Holy Land is important to its balance, to its — not just its historical reality but to its presence and future viability.”

In January 2018, Patriarch Theophilos III, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote an article for The Guardian, ‘Christians are at risk of being driven out of the Holy Land’.

The Patriarch is from the Holy Land and says that socio-political tension has been part of the problem:

Much attention has been paid recently to political decisions recognising Jerusalem in one light or another. The media attention highlights the seemingly intractable political struggle here. But as well as the threat to the political status quo, there is a threat also to the religious status quo, a threat instigated by radical settlers in and around Jerusalem, the heart of Christianity. And one group that has always been a pillar of society in the Holy Land – Christians – seems to have been rendered invisible in this standoff …

Now various sides want to claim the Holy Land, including Jerusalem, as the exclusive possession of only one people. This treats with contempt the mechanism that has maintained peace and our multi-religious landscape for generations.

A delegation of Christians had travelled to the UK only a short time before to discuss the seriousness of their plight:

Recently Christian communities from the Holy Land came to the UK to seek support for our plight in the face of legal and land threats to the Christian church in the Holy Land. We were moved that church leaders from across the UK came to our support. In meetings with Prince Charles and government ministers, as well as with church leaders, we highlighted a proposed “church lands” bill signed by 40 members of Israel’s Knesset that would restrict the rights of churches to deal independently with their own land. We also discussed threats to church land around the Jaffa gate of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Nichols was also there:

The UK’s Catholic Cardinal Vincent Nichols summed up the view of many when he told us that the proposed bill represented “an intolerable infringement of the status quo and the legitimate rights of the churches, and should be recognised for what it is: an attack on the property rights of the Christian community”.

‘Radical settlers’ added to the tension:

In addition to the church lands bill, one of the foremost threats to Christians in the Holy Land is the unacceptable activities of radical settler groups, which are attempting to establish control over properties around the Jaffa gate. The properties in question are in the heart of Jerusalem’s Christian quarter, the seat of all the patriarchates and headquarters of the churches, and less than 500m from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre …

If the settler groups were to gain control of the properties, they would be able to pursue their aggressive campaign of removing non-Jews from the City and from these strategic centres at the heart of the Christian quarter, threatening the very presence of Christians in the Holy Land.

The Patriarch explains that the holy places are sacred because holiness is a divine characteristic, not a human one:

The Christian understanding of holy places is that all people have claims to the sanctity of their holy places, because holiness is a divine characteristic, not a human one. No party should ever be able to make an exclusive claim over a holy place – in this case, over the holy city of Jerusalem.

We shall continue the fight for this cause because it is right and because it is our basic pastoral duty.

Incidentally, in neighbouring Syria, in 2019, the Jerusalem Post featured a contrasting news story and a podcast: ‘Muslims convert to Christianity in Syrian town once besieged by ISIS’.

This took place in the town of Kobani:

A community of Syrians who converted to Christianity from Islam is growing in Kobani, a town besieged by Islamic State for months, and where the tide turned against the militants four years ago.

The converts say the experience of war and the onslaught of a group claiming to fight for Islam pushed them towards their new faith. After a number of families converted, the Syrian-Turkish border town’s first evangelical church opened last year.

Islamic State militants were beaten back by U.S. air strikes and Kurdish fighters at Kobani in early 2015, in a reversal of fortune after taking over swaths of Iraq and Syria. After years of fighting, U.S.-backed forces fully ended the group’s control over populated territory last month …

Christianity is one of the region’s minority faiths that was persecuted by Islamic State.

Critics view the new converts with suspicion, accusing them of seeking personal gain such as financial help from Christian organizations working in the region, jobs and enhanced prospects of emigration to European countries.

The newly-converted Christians of Kobani deny those accusations. They say their conversion was a matter of faith.

“After the war with Islamic State people were looking for the right path, and distancing themselves from Islam,” said Omar Firas, the founder of Kobani’s evangelical church. “People were scared and felt lost.”

Firas works for a Christian aid group at a nearby camp for displaced people that helped set up the church …

The church’s current pastor, Zani Bakr, 34, arrived last year from Afrin, a town in northern Syria. He converted in 2007.

That is a most positive step for the Good News.

Returning to Jerusalem, on Sunday, December 19, 2021, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Hosam Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, co-authored an article for The Sunday Times: ‘Let us pray for the Christians being driven from the Holy Land’.

The two men say that the radical settlers have increased their persecution of Christians in the Holy Land:

Last week church leaders in Jerusalem raised an unprecedented and urgent alarm call. In a joint statement they said Christians throughout the Holy Land had become the target of frequent and sustained attacks by fringe radical groups.

They described “countless incidents” of physical and verbal assaults against priests and other clergy, and attacks on Christian churches. They spoke of holy sites being regularly vandalised and desecrated, and the ongoing intimidation of local Christians as they go about their worship and daily lives.

The Romanian Orthodox monastery in Jerusalem was vandalised during Lent in March this year, the fourth attack in a month. During Advent last December, someone lit a fire in the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified. It is usually a place of pilgrimage for Christians from around the world, and the vandals are thought to have taken advantage of the lack of visitors due to the pandemic.

These tactics are being used by such radical groups “in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land”, the Jerusalem church leaders said in their statement.

That is why, when you speak to Palestinian Christians in Jerusalem today, you will often hear this cry: “In 15 years’ time, there’ll be none of us left!”

This crisis takes place against a century-long decline in the Christian population in the Holy Land. In 1922, at the end of the Ottoman era, the number of Christians in the Holy Land was estimated at 73,000; about 10 per cent of the population. In 2019, Christians constituted less than 2 per cent of the population of the Holy Land: a massive drop in less than 100 years.

Elsewhere, in Jaffa, for example, there is good news, but not in Jerusalem:

In Israel, the overall number of Christians has risen. The imminent reopening of St Peter’s Anglican Church in Jaffa, which has been closed for more than 70 years, is encouraging. But in east Jerusalem, the central place for pilgrimage and the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — where Christ is believed to have been crucified — there is a steady decline. Church leaders believe that there are now fewer than 2,000 Christians left in the Old City of Jerusalem …

Christians in Israel enjoy democratic and religious freedoms that are a beacon in the region. But the escalation of physical and verbal abuse of Christian clergy, and the vandalism of holy sites by fringe radical groups, are a concerted attempt to intimidate and drive them away. Meanwhile, the growth of settler communities and travel restrictions brought about by the West Bank separation wall have deepened the isolation of Christian villages and curtailed economic and social possibilities.

All of these factors have contributed to a steady stream of Palestinian Christians leaving the Holy Land to seek lives and livelihoods elsewhere — a historic tragedy unfolding in real time.

What can be done?

This trend can be reversed — but action must be taken fast. We encourage governments and authorities in the region to listen to church leaders in their midst: to engage in the practical conversations that will lead to vital Christian culture and heritage being guarded and sustained. The time for action is now.

On Christmas Eve, Tom Harwood of GB News interviewed His Grace Bishop Dr Munib Younan from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Palestine and Jordan:

He pleaded for the radicals to ‘be brought to justice’ and asked what Jerusalem would be like without its Christian community. He says that the city belongs to three faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

He said that love is at the heart of the Christian message and that those who are persecuted should pray for their attackers. He added that Christ died on the Cross to give us life and life abundantly.

He ended by saying that everyone has to work together to resolve this ongoing and desperate situation.

On Wednesday, 29 December, Janine di Giovanni, a journalist and Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, wrote about this subject in a broader sense for The Telegraph: ‘We need to talk about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East’.

She has reported from the Middle East for three decades and says:

I can tell you first hand, as a human rights reporter who spent three decades working in the Middle East, the situation there is urgent and it threatens to disrupt the entire demographic of the area. I made it my mission to work with embattled Christians, aiding them in their plight and trying to get the message out to the wider world: they are in peril. And so, I began in-depth field work on the most vulnerable Christian communities. I focused on four areas where I felt the risk was most prominent: Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and the minute group of Christians in the Gaza Strip. Their numbers are dwindling rapidly.

Social scientists estimate that some of them – such as the Iraqi Christians whose populations have plummeted from close to 1.5 million to an estimated 100,000 in 40 years – are in danger of extinction. It is unthinkable to me that Christianity in its birthplace, the land of the prophets where St. Thomas or Jonah had wandered, might disappear. Everywhere I went as a war reporter in my long career – Africa, Asia, the Balkans, Afghanistan – I always found a church. No matter where I was, these visits drew me back into a safe place where I found solace and freedom from gripping fear.

Even Kabul had a tiny Catholic chapel, Our Lady of Divine Providence, at the Italian Embassy, opened in 2002 after the fall of the Taliban. But unlike the Christians in the Middle East – whose ancestry can stretch back to the prophets two millenn[ia] ago – the tiny population of Afghan Christians were nearly all converts. Nonetheless, this month, Father Giovanni Scalese, the leader of that community, who has since fled, issued a plea that Christians need no “obstacles to religious freedom.” Their situation is bad in Afghanistan, but even worse in the Middle East.

During lockdown, she began writing a book — The Vanishing: The Twilight of Christianity in the Middle East — based on journals of interviews that she has kept since the 1990s. Her article recounts some of what Christians are experiencing in that part of the world. It’s a harrowing read.

However, one place stood out for her:

… it was the 800 Christian inhabitants of Gaza who perhaps touched me the most. Gaza was mostly Christian until the fourth Century. Today, the mainly Greek Orthodox Christians – but also Catholics, Lutherans Baptists – are sandwiched between Hamas, which is at war with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, and also with the Israelis.

The lives of these Christians (as all civilians in Gaza) are perhaps the most hellish on a day-to-day basis: the lack of electricity, fresh water and health services, the fear of more bombing and their inability to visit family in Bethlehem and Jerusalem during the holidays. They are isolated and abandoned. Last summer, I returned, my first trip since Covid – and the situation was the worst I had seen in 30 years.

Nonetheless, faith and love characterise the persecuted:

But faith somehow continues, even in these embattled communities. Throughout the hundreds of interviews I did for The Vanishing, there was one theme that was consistent: love. Whether it was Father Mario da Silva, an inspirational Portuguese priest who had left a comfortable posting in The Vatican to work in Gaza, or a family celebrating its existence after encountering Isil on a mountaintop near Mosul. These people continued to pray, to believe, to gain inner strength from something they could not see or even at times understand: their profound belief in God.

Their faith, in many ways, was more powerful than any of the forces that tried to destroy them.

Christians know that persecution is to be expected, but we can pray that God relieves believers in the Middle East of this daily scourge, a seemingly intractable — and tragic — situation.

Resurrection theology: remembering the importance of Easter throughout the year

Nearly ten years ago, I read a remarkable series of articles on the meaning of Easter by the Revd James A Fowler, a California pastor who founded Christ In You Ministries.

These are brilliant articles that explain the importance of the Resurrection in our lives. As such, Revd Fowler calls this approach Resurrection theology.

I wrote a post about each of his six articles, excerpting quite a lot from each one:

Remembering the reality of the risen Christ

Are we bypassing the risen Christ?

A call for Resurrection theology

Christianity IS the Risen Christ

Unlocking the meaning of the Gospel

The extension of the risen Christ

Fortuitously, a Lutheran pastor wrote along the same lines:

A Lutheran application of Resurrection theology

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoyed writing them.

May we recall the importance of Christ’s resurrection daily. Without it, we would have no promise of eternal life.

December 13: feast day of St Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

December 13 is the feast day of St Lucy, virgin and martyr:

December 13th is the feast of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, Virgin: Siculo-Roman noblewoman, benefactress of the poor, and Virgin-Martyr of the Diocletianic Persecution—tortured and executed circa AD 304. She is venerated as patroness of the blind, and of her native city. pic.twitter.com/AggeckwJhc

— Tradical (@NoTrueScotist) December 13, 2020

St Lucy led a short but courageous life. The story of her martrydom in the fourth century spread quickly throughout Europe, from her native Italy to England and Sweden.

Sweden still has the best commemorations and celebrations of this young martyr’s feast day. Before the Gregorian calendar was established, December 13 was the shortest day of the year. As the name Lucy comes from the Latin lux, or light, a young Swedish woman represents the saint and her symbolism by wearing a wreath of lit candles on her head:

The procession walks into a dark room or auditorium singing the Lucia song, and proceeds to sing traditional songs about the upcoming Christmas time, winter landscape, or even gingerbread men, if the procession consists of children. pic.twitter.com/YBIgiAGr5I

— KAROLUS (@QVDomine) December 13, 2020

This year, December 13 also happens to be Gaudete Sunday, the Advent Sunday of rejoicing at the prospect of Christ’s birth:

To all, I wish a blessed Feast day of Sankta Lucia, and a joyful 3rd Sunday of Advent. Gaudete in Domino semper

— KAROLUS (@QVDomine) December 13, 2020

St Lucy’s story appears in the fifth century book, Acts of the Martyrs.

Lucy was born to nobility in 283 in Syracuse, Sicily. She died in 304.

Her father, a Roman, died when she was five years old. Her mother, Eutychia, was likely to have been Greek, given her name.

Eutychia never remarried after her husband died. She was also in poor health, suffering from a bleeding disorder.

Lucy devoted herself to the Lord and made a silent vow of chastity. Eutychia was unaware of this and, for her daughter’s future security, arranged for her to marry a pagan nobleman.

Meanwhile, Eutychia was urged to seek a cure at the shrine of St Agatha, who had been martyred five decades before. Her shrine was in Catania, 50 miles from Syracuse. Mother and daughter made the pilgrimage together.

While there, it is said that St Agatha appeared to Lucy in a dream. St Agatha told the young woman that her mother would be cured and that Lucy would be the glory of not only Syracuse but also Catania.

Once Eutychia was cured, Lucy encouraged her to give their wealth and possessions to the poor.

When Lucy’s betrothed discovered the news, he was furious. He went to Paschasius, the Governor of Syracuse, and denounced her.

Paschasius ordered Lucy to burn a sacrifice to the emperor’s image, but she refused.

Paschasius then ordered her to be defiled in a brothel.

When the guards came to take Lucy away, her body had miraculously become too heavy to move. The guards tried to burn her body by heaping wood on her and setting it alight. However, the wood would not ignite.

Lucy died only when a guard thrust a sword into her throat.

Lucy is often seen holding her eyes or with her eyes on a salver. This part of her story did not enter her biographical details until the 15th century. There are two versions of what happened to Lucy’s eyes. One says that she made various predictions to Paschasius about the Roman emperors that angered him such that he ordered that her eyes be gouged out. The other version says that Lucy gouged out her own eyes in order to discourage a persistent suitor who admired them.

Whether the story about the eyes is true, St Lucy is the patron saint of those suffering from eye disorders, especially the blind.

Her relics were sent throughout Europe and are resident in a few important churches. Most of these churches are in Italy, but others are in France, Germany and Sweden.

St Lucy is also the patron saint of Syracuse, of those with bleeding disorders or throat infections as well as of authors, cutlers, glaziers, laborers, martyrs, peasants, saddlers, salesmen, stained glass workers, and of Perugia, Italy.

Her feast day is commemorated not only in the Roman Catholic Church but also in the Anglican and Lutheran Churches.

Source: Wikipedia

Forbidden Bible Verses will appear tomorrow.

The Advent wreath: symbolism and history

I remember how bewildered I was as a young Catholic teenager going to church one December morning during the early 1970s and seeing a wreath with candles on a stand near the altar.

My parents — along with most of the congregation — did not know what it was, either.

As Mass began, the priest explained that we were going to light the Advent wreath. That hardly solved the puzzle of what it was and WHY.

For years, I did not like them. My mother said they were a Vatican II innovation. She was not wrong. Neither my parents nor I were interested in Vatican II innovations. Most took us away from the mysterium tremendum my parents had grown up with, something that had been taken away from me forever.

I became an Episcopalian 12 years later. Early in December that year, my mother asked me if our church had an Advent wreath. I said, ‘No’. She said, ‘Good’.

These days, Advent wreaths are in churches of all denominations. My present Anglican church has one, too.

So, we must be resigned to Advent wreaths. I’m still somewhat ambivalent about them, but, by now, at least two generations have grown up with them.

Symbolism

Advent wreaths can be used in schools and private homes as well as at church.

The QTree has an excellent post about the Advent wreath along with several related photographs. The designations of the different candles came as news to me (emphases in the original):

The most common Advent candle tradition involves four candles. A new candle is lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Each candle represents something different, although traditions vary. The four candles traditionally represent hope, faith, joy, and peace. Often, the first, second, and fourth candles are purple; the third candle is rose-colored. Sometimes all the candles are red; in other traditions, all four candles are blue or white. Occasionally, a fifth white candle is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas Day to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

The first candle symbolizes hope and is called the “Prophet’s Candle.” The prophets of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, waited in hope for the Messiah’s arrival.

The second candle represents faith and is called “Bethlehem’s Candle.” Micah had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, which is also the birthplace of King David.

The third candle symbolizes joy and is called the “Shepherd’s Candle.” To the shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too.

The fourth candle represents peace and is called the “Angel’s Candle.” The angels announced that Jesus came to bring peace–He came to bring people close to God and to each other again.

The (optional) fifth candle represents light and purity and is called “Christ’s candle.” It is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas Day.

We are a people of promise. For centuries, God prepared people for the coming of his Son, our only hope for life. At Christmas we celebrate the fulfillment of the promises God made—that he would give a way to draw near to him.

Advent is what we call the season leading up to Christmas. It begins four Sundays before December 25, sometimes in the last weekend of November, sometimes on the first Sunday in December.

My local Anglican church has red candles with a white candle in the middle for Christmas. This seems to be a more Protestant than Catholic colour scheme, even though our church follows the liturgical colour tradition of purple during this time.

The Revd William Saunders, writing for another Catholic website, Catholic Education Resource Center, has more in ‘The History of the Advent Wreath’. This has more information of which I was unaware (emphases mine):

The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. Even these evergreens have a traditional meaning which can be adapted to our faith: The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering; pine, holly, and yew, immortality; and cedar, strength and healing. Holly also has a special Christian symbolism: The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns, and one English legend tells of how the cross was made of holly. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection.

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior …

The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.

The light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Some modern day adaptions include a white candle placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. Another tradition is to replace the three purple and one rose candles with four white candles, which will be lit throughout Christmas season.

History

A Catholic website, TIA (Tradition in Action), has a good article: ‘What Is the Origin of the Advent Wreath?’. It appears that I am not alone in my ambivalence about it.

The article was prompted by a reader’s question (emphases mine):

Dear TIA,

Where did the Advent wreath originate?

In our church this year there is no Advent Wreath because the priest said it is pagan. Many true Catholics are upset over this. The wreath traditionally has been part of the Catholic Church for over 400 years so where would this idea come from? Please help!

It appears that wreaths in general, although pagan in origin, first appeared in churches during the Dark Ages — so, centuries before the Reformation:

Perhaps your priest was referring to the wreath itself as pagan, since some histories report that the evergreen wreath originated in the pagan times of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Evergreens were gathered into round piles with candles placed upon them, which represented the yearly cycle, and so on. Such data, however, are not trustworthy since they generally come from wicca sites, which habitually pretend that every Christmas custom or symbol is pagan, baptized and adapted by Catholics.

From what we could verify, wreaths of evergreens were used in the 7th century in Catholic baptismal ceremonies. In early medieval Europe it was also used in weddings, the bride and bridegroom being crowned with wreaths to symbolize their victory over the temptations of the flesh. By the late Middle Ages, garlands and wreaths were being used as Christmas décor in much of Catholic Europe.

For Catholics the evergreen is symbolic of life because its needles are green and alive even as the world grows dark and plants die back. The circle wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God. The wreath is a good Catholic symbol, and, in our opinion, should not be rejected because of a possible previous pagan usage.

The article acknowledges that the Advent wreath is a Protestant creation, more about which below.

As for the Catholic Vatican II connection:

The Advent Wreath was used strictly in homes and schools among Catholics, never in Catholic churches because there were no official liturgical prayers or ceremonies in the Rituale Romanum, the Church’s official book of prayers and blessings.

With the innovations of Vatican II, a blessing of the wreath for the first Sunday of Advent to be said before Mass was included in the Book of Blessings for those countries that requested its inclusion. The wreath is to be lit before Mass at the first Sunday of Advent, and no prayers are said on the last three Sundays.

The Church of England also has a short prayer of blessing for the first candle.

The Advent wreath appears to be a northern European tradition:

Many American Catholics are surprised to learn that this custom is relatively unknown in Latin American countries, and even in Italy and Spain.

TIA advises:

In our opinion, it seems that the custom of the Advent Wreath may be adopted by those who feel an attraction to it. But its use should be restricted to their homes. It is not a liturgical practice of the Catholic Church that should be included in official ceremonies.

I tend to agree.

Protestant origins

Wikipedia has a delightful story about a Lutheran pastor who devised the modern Advent wreath in the 19th century. That said, an older version was already in use in Lutheran churches soon after the Reformation:

The concept of the Advent wreath originated among German Lutherans in the 16th Century.^[7] However, it was not until three centuries later that the modern Advent wreath took shape.^[8]

Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath in the 19th century.^[9] During Advent, children at the mission school Rauhes Haus, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 20 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday and Saturday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America.^[10] Professor Haemig’s research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.

In Medieval times Advent was a period of fasting during which people’s thoughts were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern times many have forgotten this meaning and it has instead been primarily seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast.

Image credit: Wikipedia.

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I learned a lot researching the symbolism and history behind the Advent wreath. I hope that you did, too.

Remembering the reality of Easter throughout the year

I went to the early morning Easter Communion service today at my neighbourhood Anglican parish church.

The early morning Easter service is always a wonderful reminder of the passing from darkness into light. As our vicar reminded us, traditional churches remain dark from the end of the Maundy Thursday service through to Easter morning, whether that be at a daybreak or early morning service.

The light returns via the Paschal candle, which is lit following a prayer. The acolyte then lights the other candles from the flame of the Paschal candle.

John’s Gospel has a recurring theme of darkness and light. The risen Christ is, indeed, that Light.

Our vicar gave a moving sermon, encouraging us to think of the Resurrection as a living reality, whereby not only our souls but also our mortal bodies will once again be reunited in glorious perfection one day.

He pointed out that Christianity is the only religion that offers life after death. This is what Jesus accomplished through His resurrection, which we celebrate at Easter.

The vicar’s sermon was a moving one, as he is a convert from another world faith. He implored us not to turn the Resurrection into an intellectual or historical exercise, because it will be a very real experience when the time comes. He also exhorted us not to view Jesus as a mere historical good example of a life well lived, but as our Saviour and Redeemer.

I thought about the vicar’s sermon for most of the day whilst occupied with gentle pursuits: caring for God’s creation in the garden and preparing a suitable, satisfying Easter dinner of roast lamb.

Our vicar’s sermon made me wish that Easter were more than just one day. Whilst we are now in Easter Week, there are no modern readings by which to remember our Lord’s resurrection for the next six days.

As each year passes, I long for a more fulsome celebration and remembrance of the Resurrection. We sing the beautiful and joyous Easter hymns only one day a year.

For some of us, our recollection of the Resurrection ends up being a fleeting one.

However, it does not need to be this way.

An Evangelical pastor in California, the Revd James A Fowler of Christ In You Ministries in Fallbrook, has written a beautiful series of sermons on the meaning of the Resurrection and its impact. I hope that you will read the following posts in the coming week and reflect upon his considered, thought-provoking messages about what he terms Resurrection theology:

Remembering the reality of the risen Christ

Are we bypassing the risen Christ?

A call for Resurrection theology

Christianity IS the Risen Christ

Unlocking the meaning of the Gospel

The extension of the risen Christ

A Lutheran (Missouri Synod) pastor has also reflected similarly upon the Resurrection in the context of people’s anger with the Church. This, too, is guaranteed to get us thinking about our sin and the purpose of the Crucifixion as well as our Lord’s rising from the dead in eternal glory — for us:

A Lutheran application of Resurrection theology

I hope that you will join me in contemplating Resurrection Theology, even when it is not stated in those terms.

Christ our Lord is risen. He is risen, indeed.

Once again, readers, happy Easter.

May the blessings of the risen Christ be with us today and always. Amen.

SHOCK: Lutheran — ELCA — pastors go off the deep edge

Two ELCA — Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — pastors have been in the news this month.

Adult content follows — discretion advised.

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, Big League Politics reported on a story that first appeared in the Christian Post about the Revd Nadia Bolz-Weber who:

is protesting the “evangelical purity culture,” also known as “adherence to the scripture,” and sometimes even “Christianity.” Her plan is to “take down” the church’s teaching about sex, which makes one wonder why she became a pastor in the first place.

This month, she is asking girls to send her their purity rings so that they can be melted down to make a golden vagina:

Mail in your purity rings to be melted down into a special sculpture. In return you’ll receive a Certificate of Impurity, an “Impurity” ring, and the support of all those ready to support a sexual reformation!

Big League Politics tells us:

“This thing about women that the church has tried to hide and control and that is a canvas on which other people can write their own righteousness ― it’s actually ours,” Bolz-Weber reportedly said to HuffPost. “This part of me is mine and I get to determine what is good for it and if it’s beautiful and how I use it in the world.”

The Christian Post article says that one pastor left the ELCA, he was so disgusted by this and similar clerical goings-on (emphases mine):

Rev. Tom Brock, formerly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, crushed Bolz-Weber on his blog. He left the church over its liberal stances on abortion and same-sex marriage.

“Instead of disciplining this heretical pastor, the ELCA invites her to speak at events,” he said. “I am part of a clergy Facebook page for ELCA and former ELCA pastors and it is tragic to see some of them defend all this.”

Bolz-Weber’s website’s About page has a potted autobiography:

NADIA BOLZ-WEBER first hit the New York Times list with her 2013 memoir—the bitingly honest and inspiring Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint followed by the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Accidental Saints in 2015. A former stand-up comic and a recovering alcoholic, Bolz-Weber is the founder and former pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Denver, House for All Sinners and Saints. She speaks at colleges and conferences around the globe.

Big League Politics says:

Bolz-Weber’s behavior is simply the effect of modern liberalism on the church, which tends to preach God’s love and acceptance, forgetting that a large portion of the bible teaches God’s wrath and anger with the wicked.

Their second ELCA clergyman up for examination is the Revd Steven Sabin:

Gay Lutheran Pastor Arrested for Possession of Child Porn https://t.co/XrEmFCwmif

— Big League Politics (@bigleaguepol) December 11, 2018

On Monday, December 10, Big League Politics reported on the pastor, who is from San Francisco:

A gay Lutheran Pastor with a history of fighting for gay rights within the church was arrested for possession of child pornography in mid November.

“The Reverend Steven Sabin, pastor at Christ Church Lutheran at Quintara Street and 20th Avenue, was arrested November 15 on three felony charges,” according to Bay Area Reporter. 

Sabin pleaded not guilt to one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession or control of child pornography. According to a San Francisco Police Department news release, the investigators “located a cellphone belonging to Sabin, which contained hundreds of child pornography videos and images depicting juvenile minors being sexually abused. During a subsequent search, investigators found that Sabin was storing child pornography on a cloud storage application.”

The pastor has since been released on bail while he awaits a Dec. 19 pre-trial hearing.

The article says that, in 1998, before the ELCA went off-piste, they expelled Sabin for coming out of the closet. Sabin then joined an offshoot of the ELCA, Christ Church Lutheran. Fortunately, Christ Church Lutheran San Francisco took the child pornography charges seriously and issued this announcement:

We have learned of the arrest of Steve Sabin, who will no longer serve as pastor of Christ Church Lutheran. We are concerned for and ask for prayers for all affected, including all victims of sexual misconduct and for the people of the congregation of Christ Church. We will cooperate fully with law enforcement. We have zero tolerance for clergy sexual misconduct and are committed to providing safe spaces for all children and youth in our church.

Big League Politics points out that the ELCA has gone off the rails over the past two decades:

The ELCA, from which Sabin was booted for being gay, now accepts openly gay pastors, even one who teaches “sex positivity” and is asking young women to send her their purity rings so she can mold them into a large golden vagina. Needless to say, this is contrary to biblical teachings.

Absolutely.

Those looking for a church, especially parents with children, need to exercise caution and pray for discernment.