Welcome to 2023: 'Take care of our planet' plea from Vicar of Halifax as he wishes Calderdale a Happy New Year

The Rev Canon Hilary Barber said: “For the Christian community, the New Year sees the end of the 12 days of Christmas and the celebration of Epiphany, when the Wise Men arrived to see the baby Jesus.

"The Wise Men had followed a star which had led them to Mary and Joseph and the child.

"The true star of the story was not to be found in the sky but in the child Jesus, who grew up into an adult man and spent his life speaking not about earthly things, but about spiritual heavenly things.

"Jesus encouraged us not to dwell on earthly human things, but to seek another dimension in what it means to be a human being, to recognise spiritual things around us to be found in the beauty of creation and in the love and kindness of those around us.

"In this 21st century, many human beings have found spiritual meaning through many faith communities that exist across the world.

"They all point towards something greater than ourselves, and often acknowledge that we are a gift from God, and to God we return.

"Many people of faith believe that the reason we exist is to care for the earth and its resources, and that this New Year, after a long hot dry summer here in Halifax, and now a long cold spell of freezing cold weather with high use of energy to stay warm, we all need to take responsibility for the world in which we live.”