Our Club Chaplain & Wellbeing Manager Paul Johnson, known affectionately as 'Chappers', has given his annual festive message for all our Saints supporters around the world!
Let me begin with an unexpected question: what is your favourite biscuit?
It may not be the question you were anticipating, but it is one that has sparked more debate than you might imagine. I have asked a number of the Saints lads, and the answers have varied widely. Bourbons have featured strongly. Penguins have had their supporters. Someone even suggested a Mars bar, though I am still unconvinced that qualifies as a biscuit at all…
If you were to ask me, I would describe myself as something of a traditionalist. I am very fond of a custard cream. I have tried the chocolate-covered version, and while it is perfectly acceptable, I still prefer the classic. Ideal for dunking, if we are being honest!
If I had to name my favourite biscuit of all time, it would be one that may mean very little to anyone below a certain age: the McVitie’s Homewheat. Many of you will have had one, even if you did not know it by that name. It was essentially a chocolate digestive, but far superior. They did not come in plastic packaging. They were wrapped in foil-lined paper, with a paper band around them, and they were quite wonderful. Truly wonderful biscuits.
I’ll come back to that.
When Jesus was born, many things happened in and around Bethlehem. One of the most striking was the appearance of angels to the shepherds out in the fields. The angels announced that this child would bring peace on earth and goodwill to all.
That raises an important question: what do we mean by peace?
I think most of us would agree that our world feels rather broken at the moment. We hear of wars, the situation in Ukraine remains unresolved, the Middle East continues to bring distressing headlines. We see storms, earthquakes, and natural disasters of all kinds. It does not feel like a world at peace.
But peace is not simply the absence of war, nor is it the absence of noise. That is why we speak of “peace and quiet” as two different things. Peace, I would suggest, is a deep and settled certainty that, despite what may be happening around us, things are ultimately going to be all right.
When Jesus was born, and peace on earth was proclaimed, it was peace between people and God. It was the offer of certainty, security, and a restored relationship. A peace of mind and a peace of heart that does not depend on circumstances.
So why the biscuits?
There was once an advert for Homewheat biscuits that showed someone sitting calmly in a chair while chaos erupted all around them. Amid the noise and confusion, they quietly broke their biscuit with crumbs falling to the floor. The advert borrowed a line inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem If, but with a twist: “If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, you’re probably enjoying a Homewheat.”
That, in a small and rather charming way, points to the deeper truth. Peace on earth is not about what biscuit you are eating, and it is not about everything around you being calm and orderly. It is about an inner certainty, grounded in friendship with God, that holds steady even when the world feels anything but steady.
My prayer for you this Christmas is that you will know a deep sense of joy and a deep sense of peace. Peace of mind, peace of heart, and the assurance that you are not alone.
