New archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally: 'Let's keep kindness going after Christmas'

Set to be the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally’s appointment is hugely significant, and comes at a key moment for the Church of England. Handed the tricky task of restoring her congregation’s trust after the mishandling of historic abuse allegations, which led to the resignation of her predecessor Justin Welby, this is also a time when right-wing populists are using the cross as a flag of convenience to push their agenda. She writes her first major opinion piece in Big Issue. 

I love Christmas. Christmas for me, as for so many of us, conjures up happy memories of family celebrations, delicious food, festive music, fun and presents.

At this time of year, we can understand why the songs that peal from our shops and radios speak of a longing that it could be Christmas every day. London, where I live and work, quite literally lights up, with a buzz of expectation and the feeling of genuine goodwill in our streets, squares and shopping districts.

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As Bishop, whether I am at St Paul’s Cathedral, or visiting schools, churches and the various places to which my job calls me, everywhere seems transformed by trees, decorations, excited children and choir rehearsals.

And woven through so much of it is the Bible story itself – familiar and loved by believers, but also by those who don’t call themselves Christians. What would this season be without the angels proclaiming peace, the shepherds hurrying down from the hillside, the extraordinary journey of the wise men, the stable offered by a kindly stranger and a baby, born in a place meant for animals  – all of this acted out in school nativities up and down the country, with costumes hastily assembled the night before?

And yet it’s hard to avoid the thought – however fleeting – that all our festivities, whether spiritual or secular, are merely a few days of escapism from the reality of a brutal, broken world, and that the childlike longing for it to always be Christmas is avoidance – a flight of fancy. We cannot avert our eyes from the suffering in Ukraine, the Middle East or Sudan, or ignore the tens of thousands displaced by war, poverty or climate change.

Then closer to home, there are so many people sleeping on the streets or living in temporary accommodation, struggling to feed and clothe children, let alone buy them the presents and treats with which the festive adverts tantalise us.

But the Christmas story does not avoid that reality, for after the visits and the gifts comes the moment when Mary, Joseph and Jesus become refugees as they flee the wrath of King Herod.

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We cannot have Christmas every day. But we can strive to capture its message of hope in the midst of the harsher realities of human life, long after the presents are unwrapped, the carol singers have left, and the mulled wine is finished. In one of my favourite poems, The Work of Christmas, by Howard Thurman, he writes: 

When the song of the angels is stilled, 

When the star in the sky is gone, 

When the kings and princes are home, 

When the shepherds are back with their flock, 

The work of Christmas begins: 

To find the lost, 

To heal the broken, 

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner, 

To rebuild the nations, 

To bring peace among others, 

To make music in the heart.

My dream is that the joy of Christmas, whether it stems from faith or not, should be shared in whatever way each of us can, to give hope and help to those in need.

The Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter, like so many other projects running up and down the country, provides food, temporary accommodation, friendship and community to vulnerable people living on the streets.

The congregation at St Luke’s Church in Millwall volunteer with the local night shelter, run by Christian charity GrowTH. Big Issue itself works tirelessly towards ending poverty in the UK, through its raft of initiatives that enable people to work, earn, learn and thrive. 

And I wonder if this Christmas, when we find ourselves popping in to see an elderly neighbour, or donating to a food bank, whether it might be something we promise to continue into the new year? For while the crib scene might have been packed away for another year, God remains.

That’s the message at the core of this season. God alongside us in every struggle, every decision, every shock of global conflict, every curveball that life throws our way. 

As I look to 2026, and to my new role as the Archbishop of Canterbury, I pray that like the shepherds and wise men, we will recognise the miracle of God’s presence in the most unexpected places and human encounters; and that this will inspire us to act with care and generosity. May the hope heralded by the angels stay with us through the year ahead.

Happy Christmas.

Bishop Sarah Mullally is the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury

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