Thanks Salisbury Post! https://www.salisburypost.com/2017/12/20/christmas-happiness-to-serve-more-than-1000-children-this-year/

Let me be plain, I see God through faith in Christ. I know of many people who have brought good into the world who are not Christian , let alone Christ. They follow other figures or simply do so without adopting a systemic faith. I also know of a lot of people who use Christ – birth – lifetime , crucifixion and resurrection – to justify behaviour which is not good.

Christianity is behind Christmas and should bring happiness to our lives – and the lives we are around. But I know that not everyone will enjoy today. I know that many Christians are agonising over the behaviour of sex-brutish men. They include the recent Archbishop Category and this is troubling this branch of Christianity in the Church of England.

I am not a member of the Church of England (Methodist BTW) but I am worried that on a wonderful morning, I am being asked to think of Christmas in the context of sad and wicked religious perversion. But I am robust enough to recognise that bad behaviour is local and a perversion of the good thing. The good thing has been handled down and is celebrated from local church services to wonderful Carol Services broadcast nationally from Kings. We do not have a remembrance of  any of the evil enemies who have tried to wipe out people on a religious basis.

I was nearly wiped out on November 15th- I was too endangered to be operated, ,my family were told to prepare for my death. But only 6 weeks later, I am happy and grateful for a second chance. We will I think never know why I found myself injured on a pathway and it doesn’t matter. Even if it was someone else’s fault, that person has my forgiveness, which is Christ inspired. But we will (I expect) never know. Yesterday the police promised me they will advertise for witnesses. I hope that this will result in safer bike lanes – not prosecutions.

But prosecution is not going to make it better, what will make it better is ability to look beyond the failure of my cycle ride and look for ways to eliminate the dangers of the cycle lanes which are clearly not working as they should (with so many more cycles).

My view at 6 am on Christmas day morning is that we can use the bad experiences that we all have from time today as a means to move on and make our lives and those of others – better.

If you want a story of goodness, think of the birth of Christ who ended up getting born in a barn with no support and only the father and mother mentioned to deliver. Christ , one of the great religious figures of the past few millennia was born in the most unfortunate circumstances.  I don’t want to glamourise this birth, it must have been a hard one and I am sure that many will see Christ’s birth as a miracle. I feel the same way for being alive after the brain damage that I’ve had.

I hope that the experience that I have had on the cycle lane, on the pavement and in A&E and in brain ward will lead to me being a better person, one who Christ would have wanted to spend some time with.

But I know that I will continue to be an arse from time to time and I will cast my mind back to Christ’s birth, life , crucifixion and resurrection as a reminder that there is another way. For many others. the goodness of Christmas day will not be connected with faith in Christ. Thanks to everyone from Santa Claus to Dancing penguins. We are all working for a better world (even though we understand there is much to put right). That’s why we can all use Christmas to make things better.

Today I want to revel with my family in memory of Christ’s birth and share with them the Christian faith in good. It will mean a lot of fun and I hope that you have read this blog , realising that memory of Christ has created a day called Christmas which is good for all of us. I wish you a fun, happy and joyful day!