Paul’s Christmas message

Dear Friends,

This Christmas, the Methodist Church is inviting everyone to ‘Hush the Noise’.

‘Hush the noise’ is a line from my favourite carol, ‘It came upon the midnight clear’. Written by Edmund Hamilton Sears and originally published in 1849, it was never intended to be a nativity hymn, but rather ‘an ethical song extolling the worth and splendour of world peace, based on the song of the angels in Luke 2: 14. But its social message is surely as urgent now as when it was written.’ So says the Companion to Hymns & Psalms (our old hymn book), published in 1988. Its claim remains true.

There is so much noise in the world and much of it is deeply unhelpful. Think of all the voices raised in anger – and the guns fired, and missiles launched – as people fight over disputed land. Or think of the volume of dissatisfaction expressed when people fleeing their homeland in search of safety, security or just a better life, seek to settle beyond someone else’s border. Think of those angry voices, intent on sowing seeds of division within communities because of some perceived difference between themselves and the ‘other’, or because they want to blame those ‘others’ for all the problems that they themselves are experiencing. Or think of the misinformation, lies and messages of hate spread on social media and emboldened by algorithms designed to entice further engagement and so perpetuate such seed sowing.

But even beyond such noise, there is the volume of Christmas itself.

As the Hush the Noise invitation reads, ’Christmas is loud, isn’t it? So much expectation. So many voices telling us how to celebrate, what to wear, what to eat and drink, what to watch and what to buy.

So this Christmas we’re inviting everyone to hush the noise. To listen for the love song that the angels bring, this and every year. They sang it for the first time more than 2,000 years ago, on the midnight clear. They’re just waiting for us to join in.’

The world so desperately needs to hear this love song once again, and so too, surely, do we. This Advent and Christmas, let us do our best to hush the noise and listen well that we might catch at least the strain of this song and allow it to inform how we hear and respond to events and situations relayed to us in the news, to those around us and indeed to one another.

Wishing you and all those whom you love a joyful and peaceful Christmas.

Paul

PS If you would like to sign up for Christmas mindfulness moments, please do so here: https://www.methodist.org.uk/faith/hush-the-noise/