FR JULIAN'S WEEKLY BLOG
30/11/25
Here we are, another church year gone, and we begin another one this Sunday, Advent Sunday. Candles and calendars are being readied at home and at church, but we remind ourselves that Advent is not a countdown to Christmas, despite all the planning that goes into the celebration, nor is it a celebration of the Christmas season which, contrary to what happens around us, actually begins, not ends on Christmas Day, when we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, culminating in Epiphany.
I’m not a killjoy, believe me – I enjoy Christmas with the best of them! But I don’t put decorations, the tree and lights up in mid-November, but usually on the Sunday before Christmas, and they stay up and lit until 5th January.
It seems strange to me that when I was a child, I was always told to wait. No peeping at presents, no celebrating early. Instead, we all had to wait; after all, all good things comes to the one who waits. However, that doesn’t seem to apply to Christmas, or any religious event which has been so completely secularised that its real meaning seems to have been lost, and at this time, that goes for Advent. It is a season of waiting, of anticipation and the hope of joy. Let’s make the most of it.​
23/11/25
Preparations are well under way for the Advent/Christmas Fair on 6 December. A lot of work goes into such events, and we are all most grateful to those are co-ordinating the event, and who are already getting produce/products ready for their stalls. I have no doubt that it will all be worth it!
I went to a lecture recently organised by Taunton Literary Festival. It was a stonemason’s guide to features of churches in the UK. In the course of the lecture, the speaker made a couple of references to their view of the churches and money; in the book, it was described how they sneaked in to a church charging admission charge, as they objected to it. They were discovered…
Admission charges are a contentious issue. Most churches or cathedrals that ‘charge’ make allowances for those who want use them to pray. Easy access for the building’s true purpose has to be put into the context of those who just wish to see an historic or interesting building. Non-religious properties make a charge that all accept as necessary. Holy Trinity is kept open in every way solely due to the generous giving of the congregation. In a sense we are paying for others to enjoy HT who don’t come to church. That’s no bad thing, even if it’s hard. The building is our greatest physical asset; let’s not begrudge the joyous responsibility we have to ensure it’s here for everyone.​