Just before Christmas the local school in my village of Raglan asked me to lead prayers at the nativity play. It was a joyful occasion and there was plenty to give thanks about as two reporters led us through the story of the birth of Christ as told by eyewitnesses in poems and songs. All the same, when it came to my turn to speal, I still found myself saying that barely below the surface of the Christmas story – in fact, not below the surface at all but glaring out at you - is a tale of political refugees and an account of the poverty of a birth in a shed next to the packed out pub. So my prayer was for all those who simply can’t rejoice at Christmas time or at any other time of year for that matter.

We’re now in that no man’s land between Christmas and New Year and several days this week the church calendar will remember people who suffered unjustly. ‘Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen’ – the day we know as Boxing Day – and Stephen was the first person to give his life for his Christian faith. Millions have followed him to martyrdom. Tomorrow is Thomas a Becket’s feast day – King Henry II had this outspoken Archbishop of Canterbury murdered in his cathedral and today is the day we remember the children killed by King Herod because their birthday was too near for comfort to that of Jesus. He thought the baby Jesus could threaten him directly. At the school I said a special prayer for all youngsters caught up even today in religious hatred they can hardly be expected to understand. The church does well to remember that injustice and suffering are tied up in the Christmas story.

The celebrations of Christmas proper are over now and even the mightiest of hangovers has had time to recede. On the other hand New Year’s Day with its vows, promises and new beginnings is still around the corner. So why not use this down period between the two to reflect on the suffering and injustice in the world and try to put together a reasoned and sustainable resolution to do something specific in 2006 to alleviate some of it?