Cultivating Hope

27/11/2024 | Reform

For years, Palestinians have suffered from not being able to tell their own stories, say Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller. Their new book, Daybreak in Gaza, hopes to change that, and to reveal a ‘normal society’ with a rich, multicultural … Read More

Reviews December 2024/January 2025

27/11/2024 | Reform

RumoursDirected by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen JohnsonCertificate 15109 minutesReleased 6 December

Jesus spoke of ‘wars and rumours of wars’, and told us to give our leaders their due. He also spoke of the End of the Age. In our … Read More

Art in Focus: December 2024/January 2025

27/11/2024 | Reform

Adoration of the ShepherdsTempera on wood, between1650 and 1700Ivan Honchar Museum, Ukraine

The artist is unknown, but the scene is very familiar. The young mother Mary, looking up to heaven. The older Joseph, standing guard. The tiny baby, swaddled in … Read More

Editorial: A spanner in the Christmas Story

27/11/2024 | Reform

Donald Trump or merry Christmas? Which would you prefer to write an editorial about?

So picture the scene: a baby in a wooden cradle. Moodily lit, joyful parents. Reverent visitors, with gifts ranging from the fluffy to the glittering. Angels, … Read More

Do stay for tea and coffee: ‘It’s language and ingredients are shrunk and packaged in a bit of cardboard’

27/11/2024 | Reform

Seven years ago I wrote a festive history book, Hark! The biography of Christmas. But festive celebrations have moved on in seven years. What traditions have evolved since? Here are 12 (the Christmassiest number) surprisingly modern customs that feel rather … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Advent Sunday speaks of flickering light in the darkness’

27/11/2024 | Reform

Sheila Maxey has Advent on her mind

I have been spending some time in the past. In my attic I discovered a slide show I prepared for my parents’ diamond wedding in 1985. 140 slides celebrating what we, as an … Read More