Christmas may be different this year for many of us but for Stew Smith, formerly of Delirious? and now with CPO, the great thing is that no matter how dark things get, nothing can stop Christmas from happening. 

With the days getting shorter and the nights longer, Smith and the team at CPO are asking people to put a light in their window on 21 December - the shortest day of the year - as a symbol of the enduring and inextinguishable light and hope of Christmas.

The message of the Share the Light campaign is going out far and wide across social media thanks to a stunning video featuring his former Delirious? bandmate Martin Smith and directed by Andy Hutch. 

Using Smith's powerful song "Love Song for a City" as its soundtrack, the video has one simple ask: that people "share the light" in their communities during this difficult time. 

Smith talks to Christian Today about the inspiration behind the campaign and why it's so important that the Church 'shares the light' this Christmas. 

CT: Share the Light was your idea. What inspired it?

Stew: Because of the pandemic, the Church has been forced to become more digital, putting their services online and so on. But as individuals as well, we've all become familiar with Zoom quizzes, Facetime and staying in touch with people online. A digital film works well in this context.

But I also thought: why do we let the big supermarkets and retailers have all the share of the market in creating something emotive that connects with people when the Church has got the most powerful message out there?

CT: The film itself is visually really beautiful.

Stew: We worked hard on that because when you put something out into the world online, everyone can view it; it's not just the church market. So although the message needs to be strong and reach people on an emotional level, the quality also needs to be good enough to connect with people.

What we've tried to do is come up with something that churches can use in their online services and build a talk around, and expand on that spirit of Christmas themselves. At the same time, we wanted it to be something that people can share with their friends who aren't in the church and it will make them stop and think. That's why there's not a big call to action or the obvious Christmas message of 'Jesus died for you, you need to go to church'! We worked hard to produce something that connects with people on many different levels.

But that to me is what evangelism is. It's not our job to tell people what they should think but to offer them something that makes them start to ask questions.

What's amazing is that we've had as many responses from non-Christians as Christians saying how the video has really moved them and made them stop and think about the meaning of Christmas after such a tough year.

CT: Do you think the pandemic in general has led to people taking stock of their beliefs or what really matters in a way they might not have before?

Stew: We wanted to reference Covid and lockdown and that sense of separation in the video, hence Martin in an empty church. But it's also a reminder of that amazing community spirit that we've seen this year among Christians and non-Christians. In the road where I live, I walk down it and I can see that people are aware of those around them like never before.

I think when anything happens that is so severe and traumatic that it causes a whole nation to literally stop, that's when people and communities come together; they realise we were created to look after each other and to make sure other people are OK.

It's because we've had time and been able to stop everything in a way we haven't before that we've had the chance to think about what's really important to us. I get that sense both within CPO and personally with the people I've had conversations with.

And for the Church, it's been a great opportunity to try and connect with those who don't go to church on a Sunday. At my own church for example, our services normally have 400 to 500 people there on a Sunday, but there have been 2-3,000 people tuning into the online service.

As tough as it's been, there have also been many benefits and as a Church, we need to take stock and say 'OK, are we interacting with the world out there or are we just building an institution that is a bit of a club?'.

CT: And your hope is that people will share it far and wide on social media?

Stew: Yes, we want people to share it and for it to affect people. We want it to be a piece of art that cultivates conversations and questions, or leaves people feeling hopeful.

The whole premise is the hope of Christmas, that the church might be empty but the spirit of Christmas, the hope of Christmas can go beyond the church building. When that story starts to affect people, you can see the radiance that comes across them.

The great thing is that Christmas is going to happen no matter what, nothing can stop that. But the question is: what will Christmas be like? It will be how we want it to be, so more than ever it's about looking out and thinking about those around us, rather than that selfish consumer Christmas we've all been sucked into.

CT: The Church has been saying for years that the real meaning of Christmas is Christ but so often that message seems to get lost. Do you think that message is being heard a little more this year?

Stew: Yes, it's nice that this year people are more worried about how they will meet their families. That's the biggest concern for people at the moment rather than what Christmas gifts they're going to get or what store is selling out of which children's toy. Often in these situations, the real priorities come to the surface; they uncover some real truths in us as humans, and I think that is what we can see happening now.

CT: The video is set against the backdrop of Martin Smith's beautiful song "Love Song for a City". Was it an intentional decision to make music a big part of the video given your own background in music with Martin and Delirious?

Stew: With any video the soundtrack is so important, it sparks the emotive response and gives a foundation to build the visual upon. I originally had a totally different track planned but we couldn't get the release for it and this track came to mind.

I love the sentiment of people standing together and singing over their city, town or community. It works really well with this idea of hope spreading out and the lyrics speaking about hope rising up from the shadows are a beautiful metaphor for the country right now.

We might feel like we're in darkness, but hope will rise up, light will come again. That's also a powerful metaphor for the Christmas message. In the darkness there was a star, Jesus was born and the darkness turned into light.

CT: Is that why you've centred the campaign on the darkest day of the year, December 21st?

Stew: We started with the question of: what can we do for the Church? We wanted to give something away as a free resource initially, but as it grew and gained some momentum, it turned into more of a campaign and we thought, wouldn't it be great if as families or individuals we put a light in our window as a demonstration that Jesus is the hope of the world and the light of the world.

It gives us an opportunity to remember what we're experiencing but also to pray for those around us quietly. We're so used to things like the clap for carers on the doorstep. We wanted to do something similar to that as a community of believers but in the quiet of a light in the window and remembering those around us in our communities in our prayers.

So on December 21st - the shortest, darkest day of the year - we're asking people to put a light in their window as a symbol of the darkness changing into light over Christmas. Whether it's a candle or fairy lights, let's do something, let's together make a physical demonstration of the light externally that triggers something powerful and hope-giving in people internally.