A Great Joy: Reflections on the Meaning of Christmas

Observance of the festival of the birth of Jesus Christ has changed over time, and sometimes we may wonder if something of the meaning of Christmas has been lost. Yet reflecting on the Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus, and on the pagan origins of celebration in mid-winter, can give us fresh perspectives for our present-day keeping of Christmas. Kenneth Mason, born in 1931, was ordained priest in 1959. After eleven years in parish ministry in the Diocese of York, he moved to Canterbury, where he was engaged from 1969 to 1989 in ministerial training and education. He was then Principal of Coates Hall, the Episcopal Theological College in Edinburgh, until 1995. He now lives in retirement in the Diocese of Ripon.