Christmas Colours

Christmas at All Saints has a beauty that lifts the heart. Hundreds of candles illuminate the church ( a big job for the man with the match!) The tree scintillates with light and colour. Then there's the vestments.. purple on Christmas Eve; gold on Christmas Day and red on the feast of St Stephen. The vestments were made by Peter Stringer, an artist with needle and thread. He has left behind a legacy of colour and beauty to inspire.

As I donned the gold chasuble of Christmas I asked myself again "Why wear this?" It is extraordinarily beautiful. It speaks of the beauty of the Lord. That is the point, I guess. It isn't about me it's about God. Everything in worship should focus upon God.

I preached at the AoG Conference when I was 26 to a crowd of over 2000. I worked at the sermon with relentless enthusiasm and quite a bit of prayer. On the night I knew I couldn't have done better. I looked pretty sharp too in my aubergine suit and pink and aubergine tie. Two years later a young man said to me, "I remember you preaching at the Conference." "What do you remember," I asked. "I remember that aubergine suit," he said, "it was amazing." I wanted him to remember the sermon but he remembered the suit.

The suit of the 26 year me made a statement about me. The chasuble of Christmas made a statement about God. This Christmas at All Saints we again beheld the beauty of the Lord.