*** DEBUG START ***
*** DEBUG END ***

Tiger rag

by
05 December 2014

ST THOMAS's, Norwich, has devised a spoof of the John Lewis Christmas advertisement. Instead of Monty the Penguin™, it shows a boy whose companion is an imaginary tiger. Fans of Calvin and Hobbes will recognise this metamorphosis of toy and imaginary companion. At the end of the St Thomas's ad, the boy responds to an invitation card and takes his tiger to church. The tiger is dropped as the boy walks towards an illuminated cross. (There is a glimpse of a second stuffed tiger, the significance of which escapes us.) The ad is well executed, and ought to attract more than the traditional card invitation. But why does it shy away from the rich Christian iconography: Christ the innocent baby, Christ the Good Shepherd? Call us sentimental, but in a world where no sparrow falls to the ground unheeded by God, we reckon that, for all its theological significance, an empty cross is a lesser embodiment of Christ's love to a young child than a valued soft toy.

Browse Church and Charity jobs on the Church Times jobsite

Letters to the editor

Letters for publication should be sent to letters@churchtimes.co.uk.

Letters should be exclusive to the Church Times, and include a full postal address. Your name and address will appear below your letter unless requested otherwise.

Forthcoming Events

 

Festival of Preaching: Preaching Truth to Power

13 September 2025

Join us at London's Southwark Cathedral for this one-day event — a transformative gathering of bold voices, prophetic vision, and Spirit-led conviction..

tickets available

 

Finding inspiration in the Psalms : a Church Times one day festival

2 October 2025

Join us in York for this one-day event exploring the gift of the Psalms through poetry, art, liturgy and music.

tickets available

  

Visit our Events page for upcoming and past events 

The Church Times Archive

Read reports from issues stretching back to 1863, search for your parish or see if any of the clergy you know get a mention.

FREE for Church Times subscribers.

Explore the archive

Welcome to the Church Times

 

To explore the Church Times website fully, please sign in or subscribe.

Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month. (You will need to register.)