Turkey for Christmas – Jesus all year round
Every fortnight people from a farming background, or who have a heart for the countryside in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, offer a personal reflection on faith and rural life. They hope that you will be encouraged by it.
With Moy Park (now known as Pilgrim’s Europe) located in Dungannon and Skea Eggs at Donaghmore, the area around Pomeroy has become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of the poultry world with an abundance of poultry units housing laying hens and broiler chickens, but to my knowledge - no turkeys!
Turkey for many homes is still the foundation of the Christmas dinner. The late Bernard Matthews was a turkey farmer from Norfolk who introduced and popularised frozen turkey. This allowed shoppers to start buying food earlier and so help spread the cost of Christmas over more weeks.
Preparing Christmas dinner is no small task. From ordering the turkey to peeling the potatoes, boiling the plum pudding to setting the table, it takes days - sometimes weeks - of planning to ensure everything is ready for that one meal on Christmas Day.
Advent, the season of waiting and preparation in the Christian calendar, invites us to think about preparation in a spiritual way. Just as we count down the days until the Christmas dinner, the Church counts down the weeks until Christmas Day, when we celebrate the birth of Christ. Our preparations for Christmas dinner may take a few weeks, but God’s preparation for the coming of His Son took centuries.
In the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah spoke of a Messiah being born that would bring peace to the world, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given...He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6-7). Micah, another Old Testament prophet, foretold of a ruler to come from Bethlehem, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2).
Generation after generation waited for God’s promises to be fulfilled. As recorded in Matthew 1:21, when an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said that Mary would “…give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins.” God has carefully, patiently, and meticulously made preparations across the centuries so that you and I can have our sins forgiven.
A calf does not grow overnight. A field requires months of attention to yield a harvest. Even frozen turkeys begin life as chicks that need feeding, housing, and care. Preparation is not wasted time, but this hidden work makes the celebration possible. In a similar way, God prepares our hearts to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour through conviction by His Holy Spirit. You have the opportunity to meet the Saviour this Christmas and by faith depend on Him alone to save you and forgive your sins.
As you continue to prepare for next week and Christmas Day in particular, may you be able to say with the Psalmist, “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry…He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in Him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD” (Psalm 40:1-4).
Trevor Boyd is the minister of the congregations of Tobermore and Draperstown in the shadow of the Sperrin Mountains in County Londonderry. Married to Barbara, the father of three is a sheep breeder and previously sold animal health products across Northern Ireland.
If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev Kenny Hanna, PCI’s Rural Chaplain at [email protected] or call him on 07938 488 372.