I ventured into Perth’s CBD this morning, on leave from my pulpit and looking for a church service to sneak into. For the first time, I saw the new street decorations, unashamedly and unabashedly telling the story of the Incarnation, from the Annunciation through to the Flight to Egypt. The replicas of medieval paintings enthralled me and I almost didn’t make it to the service I was planning to attend. It was probably the unexpected surprise of seeing these large icons dominating Perth’s retail hub, now quiet and deserted on the morning of New Year’s Day. I guess one could respond with cynicism over crass exploitation of Christian symbols by a commercialism that is almost manic at this time of the year. The vision that appeared to me was of the Celtic cross in the ancient marketplace with one or two monks explaining to the gathered crowd how its symbols and markings tell the greatest story ever told. I also thought how ironic, that in our irreligious society, it is possible to tell this story so clearly under the sponsorship of a city council, while similar exercises are banned under interpretation of separation of church and state laws in more overtly religious cultures, most notably the USA.