Have you ever started to read an article in a magazine or online and then stopped after a little while, when you saw just how long it was? 

Sometimes teachers or editors have been known to write on the top of an assignment or written submission – ‘TLDR’.

TLDR is the simple abbreviation for ‘too long didn’t read’ and it happens all the time. Many books and blogs are abandoned, even if someone has a high level of interest in the subject of what has been written about.

I expect some people could scribble ‘TLDR’ on the top of some of the books of the Bible, like the books of Samuel or the prophet Ezekiel. They may start off with good intentions but after the first few densely written pages of somewhat convoluted goings-on and too many unpronounceable names, they give up! Some people may have even applied that when they picked up a Bible, thinking they would work their way through it – and then just put it down again, unread, daunted by the task.

One way of looking at Christmas could be to see it as God’s response to our inner struggles with getting to grips with the whole sweep of the Biblical narrative. Perhaps God realized that many people would never have, or take, the opportunity to read and to understand the great stories, poetry, prophesies, and historyof the Old Testament. Perhaps God thought, ‘They may not read any books but maybe they’ll pay attention to some angels, a baby – and the man that baby grew up to become.’

We’ve all been born too late - 2,000 years too late! – to have been witnesses to the man who changed the world and our understanding of who we are and who God is. We have to get our accounts of Jesus’ birth and life from the four Gospels, so we’re back to that reading! The Gospels are not too long and most of them can be read in one or two sittings, with a large mug of tea to the ready.

The beauty of Advent and Christmas is that we really don’t have to read anything. All we have to do is to attend carol services and hear the stories being sung about and listen to the lessons being read about the significance of the birth of the Christ child. In St Peter’s Church, we have part of the story in the beautiful stained-glass window at the east end. We can sit and hear stories of the nativity while pondering the meaning of the man who died on the cross and rose again.

If someone were to ask you to tell them the meaning of Christmas and they only had a few minutes, what would you say to them? What does it mean to you?

Rev’d Christina Rees