The Punmaster Strikes Again...

Our Bishop is a funny man (you know how I love my puns). I did account (though you might want to cheque) but I reckon Bishop Drainey now holds the world record for most puns in a pastoral letter.

Gotta love the gender equality...

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You might be forgiven for thinking that Christmas has already come and almost gone even before we finished celebrating Christ the King and moved into Advent! Given the present economic and cultural climate I am really thanking God for the blessing of Advent and all it brings - the richness of God’s Word and Promises, which will never go into recession; the teachings of the Church, which increase in value as the days and years pass; the wealth of the liturgy, which, if we invest in it, will give us plenty to live off for far more than the foreseeable future. Certainly here is something on which we can bank knowing that our interest will only grow as time goes on!

Wow. Ella and I are wondering if he did it for a dare...

Anyway, Bishop Drainey stops with the puns a moment to share with us the deposit of faith. The main themes are not sanitising the incarnation...

God in Christ enters into the mess and incompletion of our world and our personal lives too. Left to ourselves all we can do is wallow in the mess and lament all that is lacking, powerless to change either. In Christ a new light has dawned upon the world, in him the divine and the human are united never again to be divided.

...and looking forward as well as backwards...

While Advent is certainly about recalling Christ’s first coming at Christmas, it is also about his coming into my life, and your life and our accepting his promise and gift of salvation and all the graces and blessings that these bring in the here-and-now. However, we must also look to the day when that promise and gift of salvation will come to completion and fullness at the end of time when Christ will come again in glory.

Finally, Bishop Drainey throws a few more puns in for good measure...

We long for Christ to return in glory at the end of time when he will complete all that is lacking in our lives individually and as humanity. Here’s a currency we can count on. Shares in these truths will never decline in value. Invest in this creditable venture and you will never lose out.

A joyful, prayerful, hopeful Advent to you all and, when it comes, a peaceful, fruitful, fulfilling, and above all, a real and genuine celebration of Christmas to each and every one.

+Terence Patrick

Sterling work! It's possible to get carried away with puns but he has a good balance. You can read it in full here.

Feel free to offer your own money related puns in the comments below. I bet you can think up Lloyds of them.

Jesus Saves...