MY mother-in-law used to say that if you wanted to see Faith, Hope and Love in action, you should look at the National Lottery, writes Bishop Gregory.

Everyone seems to have faith that winning the lottery would make them happy, everyone hopes to win, and well, it is all for charity (love) really.

She made me think.

When the Bible talks about the lottery-winning lifestyle, it does so almost always in critical tones.

Riches can only weigh a person down with care, make them uncaring to the poor, and dangerously deaf to God and our neighbours. 

It is because true riches in the Bible come from being rich in the heavenly sense – rich because we know God, rich because the heart is filled with love, rich because in serving others true peace of mind is achieved.

This Christmas sees the shocking rise of poverty in our nation.

The cost of living crisis is hitting people at a level where the cost of heating our homes sufficiently is soaring, food is becoming so expensive that even people in work can sometimes only afford a hot meal for their children, while going without themselves.

Many of us will have seen “The Go Kart”, produced by Sam Teale Productions, an alternative Christmas advert, which makes reference to many of the real hardships that all sorts of people are facing.

If we invest our happiness in material prosperity, it will be beyond the reach of so many this Christmas.

However, the message of the short video is that “Christmas is made, not bought”, and it is a message that faith can echo, for Love is the source of true happiness and not the purchasing power we command.

God was born in Bethlehem as a human child, Jesus, because God wants to commit to being with humanity, helping us to choose love, giving us the spiritual power to become agents of love in the world.

This is why Karl Marx was ultimately wrong about religion being the opium of the masses, because faith is not intended to teach us to be content with poverty, but to work to eradicate it in the world.

Christian love is an act of commitment to make the world a better place by investing in that which will really bring prosperity – solidarity with the poor, putting ourselves out for others, working for peace and justice, and finding the strength to do this in God’s grace.

At a time when many people face a harder Christmas this year than for a long time, I want to encourage you to make the Christmas season by finding ways to invest in others – and not just in the family, but in the wider circles of society; not just among our friends, but for the stranger who is in need.

Everyone can do something.

And I pray that the God who was born in Bethlehem will also bring you the joy that comes through faith, the blessing that makes us stronger, a heart that is cleansed and fortified for service by his love.

Happy Christmas!

BISHOP GREGORY
Bishop of St Asaph