letter from South
It was a strange Advent and Christmastime in South Africa. These seasons are always marked by mild cognitive dissonance in the southern hemisphere. Remembering the cold darkness of Advent is difficult during the long, warm days of summer. But Christmas ‘21 was even stranger than usual.
South Africans tend to travel to visit friends and relatives over the summer holidays. Sadly, the fourth wave of COVID infections that started in late November meant that many, if not most, of these plans were cancelled.
Some churches continued to offer online services. But the reality in South Africa is that the majority of Christians don’t have the resources to stream video. Christmas messages were produced and circulated to parishioners as voice messages.
But perhaps it is appropriate that we remember not only Christmas 2021, but all Christmases, as a strange time. After all, what could be stranger than the King of the Jews being born in a stable in Bethlehem and being worshipped by gentiles from the East?
