Everyone is welcome at Christmas

The Tesco Christmas advert tries to be warm and welcoming. But the best way to celebrate Christmas is to realise that with Jesus, everyone is truly welcome.

Tesco have just released the first in a five-part series of Christmas adverts with the strapline ‘Everyone’s Welcome at Tesco’.

In one scene, a worried-looking man looks at the roasting chicken and asks ‘You did take the giblets out?’ It would appear not. In another, a woman tries to squeeze an over-sized turkey into the oven, before asking her concerned guests: ‘Has everyone got a drink?’ Another, after receiving ‘helpful’ suggestions from family members demands that they all get out her kitchen!

Some might complain that it is too early to launch this campaign, in early November with fireworks still going off for Guy Fawkes’ night.

Some might say it is not really inclusive because it only depicts idealised, happy families; it doesn’t cater for vegetarians; or for the lonely and the poor; or those who have no desire at all to celebrate Christmas. 

But most of all, as Christians, we can point people to one whose only part in the video is to lend his name to the title: Jesus, the Christ of ‘Christmas’.

And we can say to them ‘Everyone’s welcome’. Everyone is welcome to come to our churches because everyone is welcome to come to Jesus. We can tell them, ‘Come as you are – whatever your lifestyle, your religion, your age or your culture. Come and listen. Come and worship.’

Remember, we are not advertising something to buy. We are offering the ultimate free gift and anyone can receive it.

Graham Nicholls, Director of Affinity