Diocese of Portsmouth

Come celebrate Christmas at Church

Celebrating Christmas in 2021

Why not join us to celebrate the greatest news the world has ever known - the mind-blowing idea that God chose to share in the joys and sorrows of being human. We meet at our carol services to sing and hear the story of how he became a vulnerable baby, born in a humble stable, so that he could ultimately become our Saviour. 

The Church of England's national Advent and Christmas campaign this year is entitled At the heart of Christmas. Inspired by readings from the Gospels of Luke and John read at so many Christmas services, At the heart of Christmas is an invitation to everyone to discover – or rediscover – the good news of God’s saving love as revealed in the birth of Jesus. It is also a challenge to each of us to ponder in our hearts – as Mary did – what the extraordinary events of the first Christmas might mean for us now and in the years ahead.

At the heart of Christmas is a deliberately simple and open theme – one that we hope can be used by local churches to invite their communities to share in celebrating the good news of Christmas in a whole variety of ways.

Bishop Rob's Christmas message

Here's the Christmas message from our commissary bishop, Bishop Rob:

Christmas events

This are some of the services and events taking place in our diocese this year to celebrate Advent and Christmas:

In this section

This Christmas should be a time for sharing, togetherness, faith and hope in the wake of the hardships of the last two years, according to voices in this year’s Church of England Christmas advert.

This four-minute promotional film features powerful personal reflections from people in a wide range of walks of life, speaking about what Christmas means to them.

At the heart of Christmas

Resources

The resources you might find useful as you prepare for Advent and Christmas this year are all available via www.churchofengland.org/christmas. They include:

  • Daily Advent reflections that will explore the Advent Morning Prayer readings from Matthew’s gospel and feature content from Reflections for Daily Prayer by Stephen Cottrell and Guli Francis-Dehqani, available via a Church House Publishing booklet. Separate versions for families and young people will also be available.  
  • National online services for Advent and Christmas will be available here on the Sundays during Advent, and broadcast on the C of E’s Youtube channel and Facebook page. 
  • A series of twelve Christmas reflections are now available via a Church House Publishing booklet. The reflections will be shared digitally each day from Christmas Eve to Epiphany. 
  • Printed resources, including bookmarks, prayer cards, and booklets, which are available here. 
  • Add details of your Christmas services to A Church Near You, and to access the Resource Hub,(log-in needed) which can provide customisable videos, social media graphics, approaches to online giving, and Christmas carols that can be downloaded for free and used in digital or physical services.