Kirk moderator calls for more sharing view of Christmas Day
THE head of the Church of Scotland has warned that there will be people “all over Scotland with nothing much more than a tin of beans on Christmas Day”.
The Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and a chaplain to the Queen, said “many a food bank” would be open on December 25.
“In Scotland, there was a period in our history when, in response to our Presbyterian heritage, we were not very fond of Christmas and Christmas Day, up until the mid 1950s, was just a day like any other,” she said.
“There are those around who would quite like to see a return to that leaner approach to the Christmas season, but not, I suspect, for the same reasons as before. For many it’s not because they are dour Presbyterians that they don’t look forward to Christmas.
“The emphasis on family for example can be difficult for a whole variety of reasons – because of bereavement, or separation, or family fall outs.
“Then there’s the present giving. If you barely have enough to pay the bills, how can you buy presents?“many a church will offer a meal because they know that if they don’t, there will be people all over Scotland with nothing but a tin of beans on Christmas Day.”
She added: “It’s good to celebrate. I think it’s even better to do so, sensitive to how others are feeling.”