Caves are not normal dwelling-places in England. There are still a few cave homes, believe it or not. They are in Staffordshire. They look like pretty cottages protruding from a rock face, and inside are, apparently, delightful: cool in summer, warm in winter. The back rooms are a bit dark! The Environment people are apparently suspicious, but so far have not intervened. Elsewhere, in dry climates, there are many cave homes. Go on holiday to Almeria in Spain, and a short journey inland to the town of Guadix will reveal a whole district consisting of caves, each with a white- washed chimney sticking out of the ground above.

Jesus was probably born in a cave. The manger of the Gospel was almost certainly not in the centre of a quaint courtyard; the landlord of the inn would probably have used natural resources, the caves, to supplement his living space. The tradition of the Orthodox churches confirms this in poetic texts for Christmas: "Today the Virgin gives birth to Him who is above all being, and the earth offers a cave to him whom no man can approach."

Born, then, in a cave. Buried in a cave. They laid him in a new tomb, hewn out of the rock. And from a cave he rose again. Birth, death, re-birth; the cycle is complete. There are many deep-seated and instinctive reasons why people come to church at Christmas. Parents see the light of new life in their children (a curios omission in our Baptism rite is that no mention whatsoever is made of thanksgiving for the life that has come to be). Others for whom life has become hard and complicated may look back to the simplicity and innocence of their childhood. Old people may wonder if this is their last celebration of Christmas on this earth. And there are those who once celebrated Christmas with us and now, we pray, sing in the heavenly realm the angels’ song: "Glory to God in the highest." It is natural, it is right, it is essential, to celebrate this mysterious cycle of God-given life. No human life is meaningless. Let all be welcome to the feast! DS.